Inter Miami thrashed CF Montreal 7-1 in MLS action as Lionel Messi put on a dominant four-goal performance. The outing puts Messi within striking distance of 100 goals for Inter Miami, highlighted by two spectacular free-kick strikes.
The all-time free-kick leaderboards are led by Brazilian Marcelinho Carioca, who accumulated 78 free-kick goals in his career. With his latest set-piece conversion, Messi reached 74 career free-kick goals, leaving him just four away from tying the record and five from breaking it.
In the process, Messi officially surpassed legendary taker Juninho Pernambucano, who finished his career with 72 goals from set pieces. Messi now sits in second place on a list he appears poised to top this season or next given his current conversion rate.
Historical free-kick goalscorer rankings
Lionel Messi sits in second place behind Marcelinho Carioca (78), having already passed iconic names such as Cristiano Ronaldo (64) and Diego Armando Maradona (61), among other notable players.
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami.
Here is how the top 10 stands:
- Marcelinho Carioca (Brazil) – 78 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 74 goals
- Jair Rosa Pinto (Brazil) – 74 goals
- Roberto Dinamite (Brazil) – 73 goals
- Juninho Pernambucano (Brazil) – 72 goals
- Marcos Assuncao (Brazil) – 68 goals
- Sinisa Mihajlovic (Serbia) – 67 goals
- Jorge Aravena (Chile) – 65 goals
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 64 goals
- Zico (Brazil) – 62 goals
Messi’s four-goal outings and free-kick breakdown
The performance marks the ninth time in Messi’s career that he has scored four or more goals in a single match. He now has seven four-goal games (six with Barcelona and his first with Inter Miami) alongside two five-goal outings (one with Barcelona and one with the national team). The last time he registered a five-goal performance was in a June 2022 friendly against Estonia when Argentina earned a victory.
Additionally, Messi scored two free-kick goals in a single match for the fourth time in his career. The previous three occurrences came during his time with Barcelona, underscoring his remarkable consistency from outside the penalty area.
