Messi Closes in on Beckham’s Free Kick Record
In a thrilling match during the Round of 16 of the Leagues Cup, Inter Miami’s star forward Lionel Messi inched closer to David Beckham’s renowned free-kick record. Messi’s late-game strike against Dallas not only salvaged a 4-4 draw but also brought him just one goal away from matching Beckham’s expert free-kick prowess.
In the 85th minute, Inter Miami, playing away, was awarded a diagonal free-kick opportunity from just over 30 degrees, approximately 20 meters away from the goal. Messi’s impeccable technique saw the ball gracefully curve over the defensive wall and nestle into the top corner, equalizing the score. The audacious goal left one of Miami’s players awestruck, marking Messi’s second last-minute free-kick rescue in the last four matches.
This goal marked Messi’s 64th free-kick goal in his illustrious career, leaving him only one goal shy of Beckham’s record, and trailing Ronaldinho by just two goals. It’s worth noting that Beckham is also the co-owner and chairman of Inter Miami. Nevertheless, the Argentine superstar still has some way to go to surpass Juninho’s record of 13 free-kick goals.
In the post-match press conference, Inter Miami’s head coach Nico Estevez expressed his lack of surprise at Messi’s extraordinary feat. “Free-kicks for Messi are akin to penalties for other players. It’s simply a given,” he remarked. “Everyone sees it. He’s remarkably consistent. Our only hope was for the ball to swerve off target or Messi to stumble during his run-up.”
The visiting team’s coach, Tata Martino, shared a similar sentiment with his counterpart from Dallas. “In situations like those, Messi is the only player expected to convert most opportunities into goals,” he commented. “For other players, the success rate for such free-kicks is usually around 90% miss. But for Messi, it’s a 90% conversion rate.”
When considering domestic league matches alone, Messi boasts a 9% free-kick conversion rate, having netted 41 times from 456 attempts. In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo’s rate stands at 6.4%, with 34 goals from 532 free-kick attempts.
Having played four matches for Miami, Messi has completed the full 90 minutes in only two of them. The 36-year-old superstar has managed to score seven goals and provide one assist, contributing significantly to his team’s flawless four-match winning streak and earning the “Man of the Match” award each time. Prior to Messi’s arrival, Miami had endured a nine-match winless streak, languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the MLS.
As Miami gears up for the second phase of the MLS, set to face Charlotte on August 21st, the team remains hopeful for Leagues Cup glory after securing a spot in the quarter-finals.
