Proud Messi closes in on Ronaldo on Club World Cup all-time top scorers list

Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over FC Porto at the Club World Cup felt like a watershed moment for a franchise that only began competitive play five years ago.

Not only did Lionel Messi settle the contest with an inch-perfect free-kick in the 79th minute, he also rewrote several statistical chapters in a single evening, reached personal milestones in pink and black, and sparked new life into the age-old Messi–Ronaldo debate on the tournament’s grandest stage.

The match began in frenetic fashion inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, chosen as a neutral venue because the primary host city in Saudi Arabia had logistical conflicts on the calendar. Porto struck first in the 14th minute when Evanilson pounced on a loose clearance and side-footed past Drake Callender. The early blow tested Inter Miami’s temperament; earlier in the competition they had looked nervous when conceding the opener against Al Ahly, a tie they went on to draw. This time the response was immediate. Ten minutes later, Robert Taylor darted inside from the left and released a curling effort that cannoned off the far post, allowing Luis Suárez to tap in the rebound for 1-1. From that point the MLS club played with an assurance rarely associated with sides representing North American leagues in the intercontinental event.

Inter Miami’s midfield triangle of Sergio Busquets, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Diego Gómez took control by overloading the half-spaces, limiting Porto’s usual vertical switches. Busquets, who had endured criticism for fading late in games during the MLS season, produced a throwback performance in which he completed 94 percent of his passes and triggered the high press by stepping into Porto’s passing lanes. On the opposite end, veteran centre-back Nicolás Figal kept Mehdi Taremi quiet by maintaining close proximity and forcing the Iranian striker to receive with his back to goal.

The tide turned decisively in the second half. Inter Miami enjoyed 65 percent possession over the final 45 minutes, a figure that would have surprised neutrals given Porto’s pedigree in European competition. The winning moment arrived when Gómez won a free-kick 23 metres from goal after Otávio clipped his ankle during a counter. Messi sized up the wall, took three steps, and whipped the ball over Diogo Costa’s left shoulder with trademark dip and swerve. Goal-line cameras later revealed that the ball cleared the wall by barely 15 centimetres before dipping just under the crossbar, the sort of physics-defying trajectory that has become his signature.

In tangible terms the strike carried historic weight. It was Messi’s 50th goal for Inter Miami, achieved in only 61 appearances, a rate of 0.82 goals per game. It also registered as the 68th direct free-kick of his senior career, extending his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo’s 63 in the same category. Most crucially for the ongoing statistical race at the Club World Cup, the goal moved Messi to six overall in the competition, level with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema and one shy of Ronaldo’s record of seven. Unlike those rivals, Messi remains active in this edition, meaning he could claim the outright lead should Inter Miami progress.

Messi’s influence extended beyond the scoreboard. Data tracking showed he covered 9.4 kilometres, an impressive figure for a 37-year-old whose movement is often described as conservative. More than distance, his directional sprints proved decisive: three of his five high-intensity runs led to key passes or shots. His heat map indicated frequent dropping into deeper pockets to overload Porto’s double pivot of Alan Varela and Nicolás González, creating numerical superiority that freed Suárez and Taylor to run at Porto’s back line.

Porto coach Sérgio Conceição lamented his side’s inability to convert early dominance into a two-goal cushion. Internal analytics recorded that Porto produced an expected-goals figure of 0.9 before halftime but only 0.2 afterward, illustrating how Inter Miami’s adjustments squeezed supply to the flanks and nullified cutbacks. While Porto exit the tournament, the experience may still benefit their younger players such as Francisco Conceição and Gonçalo Borges, who learned firsthand the demands of facing football’s elite on neutral ground.

For Inter Miami, the road ahead includes a semi-final clash against either Urawa Red Diamonds or Wydad Casablanca. Manager Gerardo Tata Martino signalled in his post-match briefing that rotation would be minimal, citing the importance of continuity at this stage of the season. That decision underscores the club’s broader ambition: to be viewed not merely as a marketing vessel linked to Messi’s sunset years but as a sporting project capable of competing with established global brands.

Financially, advancing to the semi-final secures at least an additional four million dollars in prize revenue, income that Jorge Mas and the ownership group have earmarked for youth-development infrastructure in Fort Lauderdale. Club executives see long-term value in nurturing local talent who might one day complement or succeed the current constellation of former La Liga and Premier League stars.

Messi’s milestone night also recontextualises his MLS tenure. Critics initially posited that joining Inter Miami would relegate him to the shadows, away from the Champions League’s glare. Yet the Club World Cup, now expanded to feature more continental champions and high-profile wild-cards, offers a competitive platform where Messi can still duel indirectly with Ronaldo, whose Al Nassr side exited the Asian Champions League earlier than expected, preventing his appearance in this edition. As a result, the narrative of Messi catching or surpassing Ronaldo’s tournament scoring record has injected renewed intrigue into a rivalry thought to be winding down.

The psychological dimension of Messi’s leadership cannot be overstated. Players such as goalkeeper Callender and teenager Cremaschi have spoken publicly about the confidence they draw from sharing the pitch with a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. Internally, training sessions now feature weekly set-piece workshops led by Messi, Suárez, and Busquets, sessions that have raised the technical standard across the squad.

Messi’s next target is a personal one: he sits two goals behind Luis Suárez in the race for Inter Miami’s single-season scoring record, set at 34 last year across all competitions. Given his current form, few would bet against him adding that record to his growing list before the Club World Cup concludes.

For now, though, the Argentine insisted that collective glory outweighs individual landmarks. Addressing television reporters on the pitch, he said he valued the team’s ability to control possession, remain patient, and apply lessons from the group-stage stumble. Those comments align with Martino’s post-match assessment that game management, rather than just star power, propelled Inter Miami past a Porto side renowned for tactical ruggedness.

Whatever happens next, the evening in Atlanta will be remembered as the night Messi fused personal achievement with team success, pushing Inter Miami into the global conversation and edging closer to another statistical summit once considered Ronaldo’s private domain.