Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano praised Lionel Messi as 'one of a kind' as the Argentine star approaches his 900th career goal. Messi currently sits at 898 goals heading into Saturday's match against D.C. United, with the milestone coming after 21 years as a professional.

The majority of Messi's goals came during his Barcelona career, where he scored 672 goals in La Liga. Since joining MLS with Inter Miami, he's added 79 goals to his tally, including a league-leading 29 goals in the 2025 regular season that earned him both the MLS golden boot and MVP award.

Mascherano reflected on the privilege of witnessing Messi's historic run, noting he's been 'lucky enough to see most' of the forward's goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has reached the 900-goal milestone among active players, achieving it in September 2024. Messi now stands second among active players in career goals, with Robert Lewandowski in third.