Amid the turmoil over the publication of contract content, Lionel Messi took FC Barcelona to second place in La Liga on Sunday. The six-time world footballer circled a direct free kick into the net in a 2-1 victory over the Athletic Club from Bilbao. When it comes to this specialty, the Argentine is miles ahead in Europe.
It was his 21st direct converted free kick in La Liga in the past five years, according to Spanish sports newspaper Sports world reports. In his Barca career, Messi even scored 49 free-kick goals, six of them against the Basques. Converted, it results in a rate of around 7.5 percent of all 650 goals for the Catalans that the superstar scored with a free kick.
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Unsurprisingly, with so much quality on the dormant ball in the top leagues in Europe, nobody can currently keep up. According to the sports newspaper, Messi’s first pursuers are each with eight free-kick goals. They are Aleksandar Kolarov from Inter Milan and James Ward-Prowse from FC Southampton. Crucial for many Barca and Messi fans: Cristiano Ronaldo is missing from the list. The Portuguese has only scored one free-kick goal since joining Juventus, and in his last years at Real Madrid, the supposed specialist was not nearly as successful as Messi.
The best free kick takers in the top leagues over the past five years
(Information via Sports world)
1. Lionel Messi, 21 goals for FC Barcelona
2. Aleksandar Kolarov, 8 goals for Manchester City / AS Roma (today Inter Milan)
= 2nd James Ward-Prowse, 8 goals for Southampton FC
4. Iago Aspas, 7 Tore für Celta Vigo
= 4. Paulo Dybala, 7 goals for Juventus
6. Enis Bardhi, 6 goals for Levante UD
= 6. Nabil Fekir, 6 goals for Olympique Lyon (today Real Betis)
= 6. Dani Parejo, 6 Tore für FC Valencia / FC Villarreal
= 6. Simone Verdi, 6 goals for FC Bologna / FC Turin
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