Omotayo Fashola
(Lionel Messi. Photo Credit: FB/Inter Miami CF)
Lionel Messi has surged to second place in the history of free-kick goals, needing only three more to surpass Marcelinho Carioca’s unmatched tally of 78.
With six stunning set-piece strikes in 2026, Messi climbed to 75, overtaking free-kick maestros like Juninho Pernambucano (72), Roberto Dinamite (73), and Jair (74), solidifying his place as one of the deadliest specialists ever.
This milestone reignites his duel with Cristiano Ronaldo, who once led decisively.
In 2017, Ronaldo seemed untouchable with 53 free-kick goals compared to Messi’s 34. Yet, the Argentine’s late-career mastery has flipped the narrative.
While Ronaldo now trails in ninth with 63, Messi’s relentless precision has propelled him into legendary territory.
Here’s the elite ranking of free-kick scorers: Marcelinho Carioca (78), Lionel Messi (75), Jair (74), Roberto Dinamite (73), Juninho Pernambucano (72), Marcos Assunção (68), Siniša Mihajlović (67), Jorge Aravena (65), Cristiano Ronaldo (63), Zico (62), Diego Maradona (61), Rogério Ceni (59), Ronaldinho (57), Shunsuke Nakamura (56), David Beckham (53), Alessandro Del Piero (53), and Franz Binder (50).
