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LIONEL MESSI scored a chic free-kick in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
The strike was the 33-year-old winger’s 650th profession purpose – and his fifty fifth from a direct free-kick.
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However regardless of breaking his half-century of free-kick net-busters, Messi does not fairly crack the highest ten most-prolific set-pieces stars of all-time.
He is not even the highest Argentine… he additionally sits behind his personal BOSS, Ronald Koeman, and a goalkeeper on the record.
As a substitute, Messi ranks eleventh on the record – however will take solace within the truth he’s nonetheless above outdated rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has ‘simply’ 47 direct free-kick objectives.
We check out the highest ten – and who Messi must overtake if he is to rise to the highest – in reverse order…
=9. ROGERIO CENI – 59
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ONE of two gamers to have netted 59 direct free-kicks, Ceni did in order a GOALKEEPER.
The legendary Brazilian – now supervisor of Flamengo – scored 129 instances in aggressive video games for Sao Paulo as their designated free-kick and penalty taker.
=9. MARCELINHO CARIOCA – 59
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NICKNAMED ‘Pe-de-Anjo’ – which interprets as ‘Angel Foot’ – Carioca additionally scored 59 instances.
The Brazilian midfielder travelled all over the world, by no means actually settling at anyone membership.
He had spells at Valencia and Ajaccio in Europe, in addition to stints in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Brazil – enjoying for 13 groups in complete earlier than retiring and embarking on a profession in seashore soccer.
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8. RONALD KOEMAN – 60
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NOW Messi’s supervisor, Koeman sits eighth on the record with 60 free-kick objectives.
Throughout his profession, the defensive midfielder starred for Groningen, Feyenoord, Ajax, PSV and Barcelona – netting 239 profession objectives, which means over 1 / 4 of his objectives have been from free-kicks.
He additionally racked up 78 caps for Holland, scoring 14 objectives in complete.
=6. ZICO – 62
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THE Brazilian legend netted 62 free-kicks in his profession amongst his 500+ objectives.
Zico – some of the iconic free-kick specialists in soccer historical past – is known for his languid run-up and pinpoint accuracy.
=6. DIEGO MARADONA – 62
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LEVEL with Zico is Argentine nice Maradona – who scored roughly 20 per cent of his profession objectives from free-kicks.
Maradona’s most-famous set-piece strike got here for Napoli towards Juventus when he netted what grew to become generally known as the ‘Divine Free-Kick’.
From contained in the field, Maradona transformed a beautiful dinked effort from an oblique free-kick to, as he put it in 2017, ‘conquer the hearts of Neapolitans’.
5. DAVID BECKHAM – 65
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FAMOUS all over the world for his dead-ball sorcery, Becks was just one free-kick shy of sitting joint-third on this record.
The Manchester United, England and Actual Madrid legend netted 65 instances from free-kicks, together with his last-gasp wondergoal within the 2002 World Cup qualifier towards Greece to ship the Three Lions to the finals.
=3. RONALDINHO – 66
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JUST one purpose forward of Beckham is Brazil icon Ronaldinho.
Most-famously, Ronaldinho lobbed David Seaman with a speculative effort within the 2002 World Cup quarter-final.
He scored a complete of 66 free-kicks throughout his illustrious profession.
=3. VICTOR LEGROTTAGLIE – 66
TO sit above Messi and Maradona within the record of prime free-kick-scoring Argentines means it’s important to be fairly particular.
And Legrottaglie was simply that, scoring 66 set-pieces throughout his profession – spending all 21 of his enjoying years in Argentina, regardless of curiosity from Actual Madrid and Inter Milan.
Legrottaglie performed just for Gimnasia y Esgrima between 1953 and 1974.
2. PELE – 70
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THE quantity of objectives he scored in his profession is extensively disputed, however formally, Pele scored 70 free-kicks throughout his wonderful profession.
His thunderous effort within the 1970 World Cup towards Romania – up towards a wall that clearly wasn’t ten yards away – will go down as considered one of his biggest objectives ever.
1. JUNINHO PERNAMBUCANO – 77
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THE final king of the free-kick, there can absolutely be no arguments.
Whether or not it is a dead-ball from 20 yards out or 40 yards away, in the midst of the purpose or by the nook flag, Lyon legend Juninho was all the time prone to go away the web bulging.
In simply eight years at Lyon, the Brazilian scored 44 free-kick objectives – greater than FIVE per season.
Simply try this thread of his 4 greatest Champions League entries…
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