Lionel Messi may be 36 years old, but as he lights up the scoresheet with his new club Inter Miami, he's still accomplishing things that are rare not only for the average footballer, but even for himself.
The Argentine superstar scored in seven straight club matches to start his Inter Miami career, leading the MLS side to the 2023 Leagues Cup title. Inter Miami had never played in a Cup final in the club's short history, and it took just seven games to lead them to new heights. Tack on a goal for Argentina before he signed with Inter Miami, and he bagged a goal in eight straight games for club and country.
Eventually it would come to an end, as Messi wouldn't find the back of the net, but his two assists helped Inter Miami to a thrilling 3-3 draw with FC Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Still, his long scoring streak is uncommon even for an all-time great like Messi. Scoring in all seven of his Leagues Cup games en route to winning the championship, Messi has reached a mark he has only achieved a handful of times in his career.
Scoring his first La Liga goal for Barcelona in 2005, Messi did not have a goal in six straight matches of any single competition until 2012, when he would net in 10 consecutive Spanish top flight games. The Sporting News brings you a roundup of all Lionel Messi's all-time best scoring streaks throughout his illustrious football career.
7 - Lionel Messi has scored in seven straight games for club and country for the seventh time in his career. Heaven. pic.twitter.com/FluE1Fwc16
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) August 15, 2023
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Lionel Messi longest scoring streaks
Not all scoring streaks are equal, so The Sporting News has broken down each of Lionel Messi's most notable scoring streaks that are spread across varying competitions, clubs, and national team events.
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Lionel Messi longest outright scoring streaks
While Messi's most popular goal-scoring streak is his record-setting La Liga mark in 2012/13 (more on that in a bit), that doesn't quite qualify here.
For an overall goal scoring streak, we pulled in every single official match Messi has ever played in — for Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and Argentina, and across all competitions — and found where he scored in the most consecutive matches regardless of his team, his opposition, or his competition.
Therefore, his 2012/13 league streak actually gets broken up by zeroes in Champions League and Copa del Rey action, and also with Argentina on a few occasions.
According to data collection website Transfermarkt.com, the longest scoring streak of Lionel Messi's career across all competitions for all teams is 10 consecutive games with a goal. He has done this twice, first in 2010 and again (of course) in that marvelous 2012/13 campaign.
His first came with Barcelona where he scored in 10 straight games from Oct. 20 through Nov. 24, a streak bookended by a pair of Champions League group stage matches. In total, he scored in five La Liga games (bagging an insane total of 10 goals in those five games), three Champions League matches, one Copa del Rey game, and one for Argentina in a friendly against Brazil.
Messi matched that streak in late 2012, stretching into 2013, during his famous record-setting season. Beginning on Dec. 9 with a brace in league play against Real Betis, Messi logged a goal in seven La Liga games and three Copa del Rey games. It ended with his incredible four-goal haul against Osasuna before coming up empty in the Cup against Real Madrid on Jan. 30.
Lionel Messi longest goal scoring streaks for club & country
| First | Last | Games | Goals | Mins |
| Oct. 20, 2010 Barcelona 2-0 Copenhagen |
Nov. 24, 2010 Panathinaikos 0-3 Barcelona |
10 | 14 | 839 |
| Dec. 9, 2012 Real Betis 1-2 Barcelona |
Jan. 27, 2013 Barcelona 5-1 Osasuna |
10 | 16 | 893 |
*Currently active streak
Lionel Messi longest scoring streak in a single competition
Lionel Messi holds many records across club and international football, but this one might be one of — if not the — most impressive in his career.
The Argentine star holds the all-time record for longest scoring streak in Big 5 European League history, netting in an unthinkable 21 straight matches for Barcelona in the 2012/13 La Liga campaign. Across the streak, which started in November of 2012 and lasted through May of 2013, Messi snagged 39 goals, with the crowning achievement being a four-goal haul against Osasuna in late January.
He even managed to outlast a hamstring injury, which threatened to halt his form in April, but he returned to score goals against Athletic Club and Real Betis before (of course) Atletico Madrid finally kept him off the scoresheet to end the run.
Messi would finish the 2012 calendar year with an outlandish 92 goals, also an all-time mark that feels untouchable in today's game.
Lionel Messi longest Argentina scoring streak
By the end of this article, you'll be tired of hearing about the 2012 season of Lionel Messi's career, because it's the year he set most of his records.
Sure enough, it features prominently for a while as his longest goal scoring streak for the Argentina national team. Messi netted in six straight national team fixtures from November 2011 to September of 2012. That streak included two hat-tricks, with one coming in a friendly against arch-rivals Brazil.
Yet that mark was recently matched and then topped as the 36-year-old continues to prove he still has his best. Messi scored in six straight international fixtures through 2022, culminating with the first two group stage matches at the 2022 World Cup.
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A goose egg against Poland in the final group stage match ended that run, but don't fret, he started another which currently stands intact. Messi has scored in eight straight national team fixtures, starting with the Round of 16 win over Australia and continuing through the World Cup qualifying win over Ecuador in September. It includes a goal in the final four 2022 World Cup games, plus at least one in all three international friendlies since.
Messi will look to continue that streak in September when Argentina continue CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying for 2026 against Bolivia.
Lionel Messi longest Champions League scoring streak
A goal scoring streak in the UEFA Champions League is one of the most coveted and difficult of them all.
Not only are the opponents often the best players in the world, but the opportunities are scarce. A run from the group stage to the final of the UEFA Champions League affords a player a maximum of 13 matches and 1,170 minutes to build such a streak.
For Messi, he sits behind his rival Cristiano Ronaldo in this regard. Ronaldo holds the Champions League record with a goal in 11 straight games, but Messi's high is a goal in five straight Champions League games, something he's accomplished three times across his career.
The last time he achieved that total was 2016, when he scored in all five of his group stage appearances. He also accomplished it in the 2014 group stage, a year when Messi and Barcelona would lift the trophy. Messi first scored in five straight the year before, with injuries causing the streak to be spread out across the group stage and Round of 16.
Lionel Messi longest PSG scoring streak
While Lionel Messi was certainly under-appreciated during his time in the French capital, it's also true that he never quite captured his best form during his two years at PSG. His first season was a total dud, but the second term showed true improvement.
Messi's longest league goal-scoring streak with PSG was five straight Ligue 1 games with a goal through February of 2023, but that streak was technically broken up by an empty appearance in the Coupe de France, meaning it can't count on the overall record.
From an overall standpoint, Messi scored in four consecutive games for PSG through September and October of 2022. He bagged two in Ligue 1 action and two in Champions League play, scoring against Maccabi Haifa, Lyon, Nice, and Benfica.
MORE: Tracking all of Messi's goals with Inter Miami
Lionel Messi longest Inter Miami scoring streak
Lionel Messi scored a whopping 10 goals in his first seven games with Inter Miami, a streak which eventually came to an end against FC Cincinnati in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on August 23, despite two assists for the Argentine.
MORE: Inter Miami beginner's guide | Messi's new stadium | Club owners | New coach
Even before he netted in the Leagues Cup final, his final match of the streak, six straight games with a goal in any single competition was something Messi has only accomplished seven previous times in his club career — never in Cup competition, but only with Barcelona in La Liga play. He's not done it since he bagged a goal in eight straight La Liga appearances in the 2020/21 campaign, his last season with Barcelona.
