One of the best footballers in history, Lionel Messi has left a lasting impression on millions around the world by demonstrating fantastic skill and precision over his time.

He is a master at scoring free kicks, among many other qualities. One of the most often heard questions from both fans, as well as many analysts is, How Many Free Kicks Has Messi Scored?

This complete guide of Messi’s free-kick exploits for 2024 will address the numbers, methods and key moments that have come to define his specialist set-piece ability and guide on everything you need to know about how he cracked free kicks.

How Many Free Kicks Has Messi Scored : Statistical Breakdown

As of the end of the 2023 season, Lionel Messi has scored an astounding total of 61 free kicks in competitive matches.This impressive tally includes goals for club and country.

Contributions spanning his years at:

• FC Barcelona
• Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
• Argentina national team
• Messi’s free kick goals have come in a variety of competitions, including:
• Domestic leagues (La Liga, Ligue 1)
• UEFA Champions League
• Copa del Rey
• International tournaments (Copa America, World Cup qualifiers)

Every goal showcases his exceptional talent and regular nature. Reinforces his claim as one of the greatest free kick takers in the game

Early career and first free kick goals

Young Talent at FC Barcelona:

Messi showed his brilliance quite early in the career with a natural command over set-piece taking. This was clear, even from a youthful age at the high-profile club of his. His free kick abilities began to grow while in FC Barcelona as he played under experienced coaches and along-side world-class players.

Messi was already standing out that he should be a future star with the accuracy, curve and sheer power showing in his strikes during youth matches and training games. His introduction to scoring free kicks would ultimately serve as an evergreen reminder of his incalculable capacity for fine-tuning virtually every single facet of his game.

He earned himself a little bit of reputation with each successful attempt, which acts as the backdrop for what would turn into an exciting career ultimately making him one those rare specialists in free kick taking.

First Professional Free Kick Goal:

His first free kick goal came on 4th November 2008 in a UCL match against Sporting CP as a professional. Such a moment said much about the development of Messi as it did his ability at dead balls in one of football’s most prestigious fixtures.

That goal epitomized a talent for arcing the ball over walls and into corners that would soon become legendary in terms of set-piece scoring. Not only did the highlight propel FC Barcelona to victory, it showed that Messi was an ascending player with rare capabilities in dead-ball situations.

Iconic Free Kicks

First Free Kick in Ligue 1 (PSG vs. Manchester City, 2021)

Messi scored an enchanting free-kick into the top corner from outside the field during a UEFA champions league group stage match with Paris Saint_Germain.

He notched his first free-kick in PSG colors with this and showed that he continues to take no time at all firing set pieces on goal-conversion for which is getting smoothly added to the tally-books of a new side.

Champions League Brilliance (Barcelona vs. Liverpool, 2019)

Messi scored an incredible free kick from 30 yards during the first leg of UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool. It bent over the wall and into the top corner, where Alisson Becker had absolutely no chance.

The goal helped Barcelona on their way to a 3-0 win, but more poignantly illustrated the scale of Messi’s performances when it comes to engaging with European football at its highest level.

Crucial World Cup Qualifier (Argentina vs. Ecuador, 2017)

Messi saved his country’s blushes in a high-stakes World Cup qualifier vs. Ecuador, capping off an amazing hat trick with this free kick to send Argentina through to the 2018 FIFA World Cup but his curling drive from distance simply left the goalkeeper and underpinned his capacity.

International Stage Heroics (Argentina vs. USA, 2016 Copa América)

Messi scored an excellent free-kick goal versus the United States in Copa América Centenario semi-final. The Argentine wizard then gracefully whizzed the ball a little over 25 yards away and to the top corner of Onetowatch’s net, cementing his place among global stars.

That goal gave Argentina a stunning 4-0 victory that put them in the final.

El Clásico Magic (Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, 2012)

Messi provided the decisive touch at the Camp Nou in a fierce rivalry that has always been enlivened by these genius players. His beautifully curled free kick arced over the wall and down just under the bar, with legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Perhaps playing at a slightly diminished level but still completely world class, stood virtually motionless in goal. It not only displayed his genius but was pivotal in one of the tightest El Clásico battles.

Breakdown by Club and National Team

FC Barcelona

Lionel Messi honed his free kick craft to a level that surpassed anything ever seen during all of those years at FC Barcelona. As a matter of fact, he scored 50 out of his all-time most free-kick goals for the Catalan giants.

The 117 goals were scored from all competitive matches.

• La Liga: Messi’s 39 goals in Spain’s top flight highlight his dominance and consistency over the years.
• UEFA Champions League: A total of 6 memorable free kicks contributed to Barcelona’s European campaigns.
• Copa del Rey: Adding 5 goals in Spain’s premier domestic cup competition showcased his versatility and expertise in crucial knockout matches.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)

Messi has now added five more free-kicks to his career tally after signing with Paris Saint-Germain.

He has been the linchpin in Ligue 1 and across Europe with his versatility shining through even further.

• Ligue 1: 4 goals in the French first division demonstrate his immediate impact and ability to perform in a new league.
• UEFA Champions League: 1 free kick goal reaffirms Messi’s knack for delivering in high-stakes European matches.

Argentina National Team

Similarly, Messi has scored 6 goals from free kicks during his performances with the Argentina national team.

His goals have may be at a crucial time in international tournaments:

• Copa America: 3 goals highlight his contributions to Argentina’s quest for regional glory.
• World Cup Qualifiers: 2 goals underscore his role in steering the national team towards football’s biggest stage.
• Friendlies: 1 goal in less competitive matches still underscores his consistent threat from set-pieces.

Evolution of Technique:

Extensive Training Refined His Free Kick Abilities:

As Messi developed in his career, dedicated time to practicing was crucial to perfecting those dead-ball skills. He was unerring in an uncompromising commitment to honing every facet of his dead-ball craft during zealous training drills.

He concentrated on mastering accurate ball placement, and tested different striking methods until he achieved reliable and spectacular results.

Developed Precise Ball Placement and Unique Curling Shots:

Another tactic in Messi’s free kick mastery is his pinpoint ball placement. Especially when playing football, so after a lot of tries and methods dead-oddities Messi learned how to place the ball exactly on goal, in order not force anything.

That same level of minuscule attention to detail helped him produce unmanageable curling shots that left both defenders and goalkeepers mesmerized.

He had the kind of spin and bend on his shots that you would put in a video game to make it realistic but not overpowered, consistently curling into perfect top corners with outrageous swerve.

Mastered Reading Goalkeeper’s Intentions to Enhance His Conversion Rate:

Along with his technical skill, Messi became a master of the psychological side of free kicks too. That, combined with his development of lightning fast ability to read a goalkeeper’s intentions raised the percentage through the roof.

Messi looked at the way their keeper set up and moved, so he knew how they might react to his shot.

This was called tactical knowledge, and the clarity in his thoughts which added something extra to its repertoire rendering it less quantifiable while simultaneously also more free kicks were deadly.

Early Free Kick Successes Built His Confidence:

Those early successes in free kicks helped develop Messi’s confidence and competency as a serviceable striker of the dead ball.

He knew that his hard work and dedication had paid off, as evidenced by every free kick goal he successfully converted, which then gave him the confidence to put himself forward from more difficult situations.

These slivers of victory were more than mere numbers; they had become psychological markers in the pursuit towards a better race performance every time.

The foundation established by those early goals led to him scoring some of the most iconic free kicks in history through his La Liga career, cementing Messi as a player who could convert dead-ball situations into potential goals with an uncanny level of success.

Comparison with Other Football Legends

Diego Maradona

One of the game’s all-time greats, Diego Maradona was famed for his exquisite free kick-taking ability and had a knack for scoring big goals when they mattered.

His style could not be in stark contrast to Messi’s measured placidity, adding a further mark of uniqueness.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is famous for his knuckleball free kick style has netted most 58 Free Kicks at the end of year 2023 which sits little behind to Messi.

Yet this physical prowess compares to the finesse and tactical acuity Messi applies when taking free kicks.

David Beckham

David Beckham is the first name that people think of when it comes to free kick sweet spots, he bent in 65 goals with perfect curves.

He would copy Messi’s emphasis on placement and curling, emulating the Argentine technique.

Zico

A Brazilian maestro, Zico netted in excess of 101 free kick goals which exhibited an innovative power & precision cocktail. That is a remarkable record, and one that puts the history mantra firmly to bed.

Messi merely adds his illustrious name to the list of free-kick masters throughout time.

Juninho Pernambucano

Juninho Pernambucano an unusual free kick taker, Juninho had a reputation for eliciting tremendous power and precision from his long range shots during set piece situations, scoring 77 such goals.

In fact, Messi’s technique illustrates a thing or two about free-kick mastery thanks to Juninho, his power with precision.

Conclusion

Lionel Messi’s status as one of the greatest footballers ever is cemented by his freakish free-kick prowess.

A good set-piece can therefore on occasions be more off-than not, the difference between winning and losing as his perfect technique coupled with accuracy combined to score points whilst also looking like its simplicity itself.

All the way from his time at Barcelona up to now with Paris Saint-Germain and everything in between on international duty, free-kick Messi reigns supreme as one of soccer’s greatest natural occurrences.

Messi now boasts an incredible 58 free-kicks to his name, reinforcing the notion that he is quite simply one of the greatest footballers ever.