Just over eight months after leading Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in Qatar, Lionel Messi has clinched another record that adds to his case for being the greatest footballer of all time. With Inter Miami winning their first-ever title in form of the Leagues Cup against Nashville on Sunday morning, Messi now has 44 team trophies to his name, more than any other professional footballer.
Having won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earlier this summer, Messi was tied with former Barcelona teammate Dani Alves on 43 trophies for the past few months, but now stands alone as the most decorated footballer of all time. This is in addition to his seven Ballons d’Or and six FIFA Player of the Year/The Best awards, both of which are also records when it comes to individual laurels.
A dream start to life in Miami
With 10 goals in his first seven games for Miami (all of which have been in the Leagues Cup), Messi has made a fairytale beginning to life in the US. Taking a team that is bottom of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS) to a cup final and winning it on penalties will rank among Messi’s finest achievements in recent years, even if the standard of football is not quite what he was used to in Europe. In doing so, Messi was also named as the best player of the Leagues Cup, something he has accomplished (at least once) in every tournament he has finished as champion.
In the Leagues Cup final, Messi scored his customary spot kick in the shootout, having opened the scoring with a shimmy and sublime shot from the edge of the penalty box in the 23rd minute. Victory in the Leagues Cup means that Messi has now won every single competition he has played in as a professional with the exception of the Coupe de France, which he could not get his hands on in two attempts with PSG.
Twelve league titles, four Champions Leagues and immortality with Argentina
Messi won the bulk of his trophies at Barcelona, with the Copa Del Rey in 2021 being his last team title for the club Getty Images
Out of Messi’s 44 titles, 39 have come at club level. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of those were won in Barcelona, where Messi spent 17 years playing at the highest level. Twelve of Messi’s team honours are league titles (10 with Barcelona, two with PSG), four are UEFA Champions Leagues (all with Barcelona), and 17 are domestic cups (15 with Barcelona, one each with PSG and Inter Miami), while the rest include the UEFA Super Cup (thrice) and the FIFA Club World Cup (thrice). With Argentina, Messi has triumphed in the 2005 U-17 World Cup, the 2008 Olympic Games, the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima and, most memorably, in last year’s World Cup final against France, which finally allowed him to match his compatriot, Diego Maradona, and become an immortal in the hearts of all Argentines.
Can Messi get to 50 trophies?
Will Messi be around in 2026 to try and add another World Cup to his trophy cabinet? Getty Images
Behind Messi and Alves on the team honours’ list are some of the most illustrious names in the beautiful game, though not necessarily the ones you would expect. With 39 trophies, Egypt’s Hossam Ashour is third, while Spain’s Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique and Brazil’s Maxwell have 37 trophies each. Rounding off the top five is Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs, who has 36 winners’ medals to his name. For those wondering about Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally, the Portuguese legend has 35 trophies, the latest of which came earlier in August when Ronaldo scored twice to guide Al-Nassr to the Arab Club Champions Cup.
The next question for Messi on the trophies’ front is whether he can touch the magic number of 50. Given his form and fitness, it is not impossible. Miami have the US Open Cup coming up later this month (they are already in the semi-finals), and while winning the MLS Cup may be a stretch too far this year, Messi’s presence makes them contenders for as long as he is active. With Argentina, Messi will have more opportunity for silverware when he captains them in the Copa America next year, with the outside chance that he will be back for his swansong at the World Cup in North America in 2026.
