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| Lionel messi |
Lionel Messi has moved into second place on the all-time list of direct free-kick scorers after another productive year in front of goal.
The Inter Miami star has now scored 75 direct free-kicks throughout his career, moving ahead of several renowned specialists and opening up a 12-goal gap over Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 63.
Messi’s six free-kick goals in 2026 have been particularly significant. They have seen him surpass Brazilian legends Juninho Pernambucano, Roberto Dinamite and Jair on the historical list.
Only Marcelinho Carioca stands above Messi, with 78 direct free-kick goals to his name. Messi is therefore just three goals away from matching the long-standing record.
The Argentine’s rise is even more notable when compared with the situation earlier in his career. In 2017, Messi had scored 34 free-kicks, while Ronaldo had already recorded 53.
Since then, Messi has significantly improved his free-kick numbers, particularly during the latter stages of his career.
Ronaldo, now 41, currently occupies ninth position with 63 goals. The Portuguese superstar could still move past Jorge Aravena, Siniša Mihajlović and Marcos Assunção if he continues scoring before the end of his career.
The current top 20 direct free-kick scorers, according to Planet Football, are:
1. Marcelinho Carioca — 78
2. Lionel Messi — 75
3. Jair — 74
4. Roberto Dinamite — 73
5. Juninho Pernambucano — 72
6. Marcos Assunção — 68
7. SiniÅ¡a Mihajlović — 67
8. Jorge Aravena — 65
9. Cristiano Ronaldo — 63
10. Zico — 62
11. Diego Maradona — 61
12. Rogério Ceni — 59
13. Ronaldinho — 57
14. Shunsuke Nakamura — 56
15. David Beckham — 53
16. Alessandro Del Piero — 53
17. Franz Binder — 50
With Messi still playing and continuing to score from set pieces, the Argentine is now within three goals of Marcelinho Carioca’s record.
A few more successful free-kicks could see the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner move to the top of one of football’s most specialised scoring charts.