When Lionel Messi first broke into the Barcelona team at 18, he was often the side’s go-to man. With long hair and a quiet demeanour, he had blistering speed on the ball and left defenders behind with an ease rarely before seen. His teammates would get him involved as much as they could, sure he would make things happen. Yet at other times, Barcelona’s golden boy would quietly step back and let the established stars around him take the lead.
When a free-kick was awarded, it was Deco, Xavi and Ronaldinho who gathered to plot the next move. La Pulga watched and learned.
And over time, Messi made set pieces his own, both with Barcelona and with his national team. However, it didn’t happen overnight. Dribbling and scoring came naturally to the Argentine, but free-kicks were less instinctive. But soon, like everything else he turned his hand to in football, he mastered it. More than that – he turned it into an art form.
In Inter Miami CF’s Group A match at the FIFA Club World Cup™ in Atlanta, Messi scored a stunning goal to seal the win for his side against FC Porto and keep their dream of reaching the knockout stage alive. Javier Mascherano’s team sit second in the group with four points, the same as SE Palmeiras, who lead the standings on goal difference.
Watch how Roman does it. Follow through, kid. Follow through.” Alfio Basile, who coached Argentina in two spells (1990–1994 and 2006–2008), was Messi’s first head coach with the Albiceleste. During the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela, he pulled Messi aside and suggested that, when striking the ball, he should bring his left leg further forward to generate more power and control.
Roman, of course, was Juan Roman Riquelme, the free kick specialist at the time for a side that went on to finish runners-up to Brazil, after a 3-0 defeat in the final.
Messi started every game in that tournament, in a star-studded squad that included Carlos Tevez, Pablo Aimar, Hernan Crespo, Javier Mascherano and Roberto Ayala, among others.
Not long after, curiosity turned into an obsession. “I never used to train for free kicks. One day, I gave it a go and quickly realised how much I could improve. And I did!”, he said. His technique involves using the inside of the foot and shots aiming more for placement than power, whether curled over the wall or toward the goalkeeper’s side.
Juanjo Brau, Barcelona’s fitness coach, once revealed Messi “wouldn’t leave training until he’d put his last free-kick into the top corner.”
His free-kick soon became a weapon he could rely on in all kinds of situations, with his first coming against Atlético Madrid, back in 2008.
The list is now long and packed with some incredible moments – against Real Madrid C.F. in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, the United States at the 2016 Copa America, Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals, Chile at the 2021 Copa America, and Cruz Azul on his Inter Miami debut at the 2023 Leagues Cup.
But there’s no doubt that the goal he scored at the Club World Cup against Porto belongs among the most important. Messi is breathing life into a club barely five years old, who are now holding their own on the world stage in a tournament that brings together the best teams on the planet.
In the 54th minute, Porto’s defence brought down the Argentine, who was breaking through on goal after linking up with Luis Suarez. The move resulted in a free-kick just outside the box, almost dead centre and level with the penalty spot. Inter Miami’s captain, always so adept at disguising his shot, curled it into Claudio Ramos’s top left corner to complete a comeback that had looked unlikely after going 1-0 down to an early penalty.
“I saw the keeper was standing in the middle, and knew that it would be tough to get it over the wall. I took advantage of the space he was giving up on his side and went for it,” he told DAZN after the match.
“I’m really happy because we were left with a bitter taste after the first match as we felt we could have won it. But this victory is very important for all of us,” said Messi after the game.
That strike took Messi’s tally to 68 career goals from free kicks: 50 with Barcelona, 11 with Argentina, two with Paris Saint-Germain, and 5 with Inter Miami, where he’s already the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Earlier in the week, the Argentine posted a photo with Italian legend Roberto Baggio – another man who knew a thing or two about taking free-kicks. Baggio had been at Inter Miami’s opening match of the tournament against Al Ahly, alongside a host of other legends, including another gifted Italian, Alessandro Del Piero, who spoke to FIFA about the chance to watch Messi live.
“His age doesn’t matter. He’s a fantastic player. I hope he has a great tournament, an incredible one even, just like he always does. I always look forward to seeing him play.”
