Messi, three goals from another record: second on free-kicks | OneFootball

Leo Messi continues to expand his legacy and now has another historic record within reach. The Argentine scored from a free kick in Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with San Diego FC and reached 75 free-kick goals in his career, moving into sole possession of second place among the top scorers in this specialty.

The goal came in the 23rd minute, when Inter Miami was trailing on the scoreboard. Messi took charge of a free kick from a wide position and sent a curling delivery toward the box.

The ball ended up going straight into the net without any teammate getting a touch on it.

The goal was not enough to give Inter Miami the win, but it did allow the Argentine captain to move even closer to another major milestone he is chasing in the final stretch of his career.

Messi surpasses Jair Rosa Pinto

With his goal against San Diego, Messi reached 75 free-kick goals and surpassed Jair Rosa Pinto’s 74.

According to records that count only free-kick goals in top-flight divisions and exclude Olympic goals, indirect free kicks, and other categories, the Argentine now holds second place all-time.

Ahead of him is Brazilian Marcelinho Carioca, who has 78 free-kick goals.

Messi is therefore just three goals away from tying the all-time record and four from becoming the outright leader in this ranking.

A list full of legends

The Argentine has already moved ahead of several historic figures in world soccer.

Behind Messi are Roberto Dinamite, with 73 goals; Siniša Mihajlović and Juninho Pernambucano, with 72 each; Marcos Assunção, with 68; and Jorge Aravena, with 65.

He has also surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 64 free-kick goals, while also staying ahead of Zico, Ronaldinho, and Diego Maradona.

The list once again places Messi among the great specialists in one of soccer’s most difficult skills.

Inter Miami falls further behind in the race for first place

The individual record came on a night that left a bittersweet feeling for Inter Miami.

The Florida side drew 2-2 with San Diego and dropped two important points in the race for the Supporters’ Shield.

With eight matches still to play, Inter Miami sits 11 points behind Nashville, the regular-season leader.

Messi’s team will now have to focus on finishing the regular season in the best possible way and reaching the playoffs in optimal condition.

Messi can still go after the record

The Argentine is under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, so there is still time for him to try to match and surpass Marcelinho Carioca’s mark.

To do so, he needs just four more free-kick goals to become the outright all-time leader.

With 75 free-kick goals and a new record within reach, Messi once again shows that even in the final stage of his career, he is still finding historic milestones to chase.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.