Photo: EPA
Argentine forward Lionel Messi starred for Inter Miami with a brace in their MLS match against Orlando City.
The 38-year-old started the game and opened the scoring in the 57th minute with a strike from outside the penalty area. He then sealed the 4-2 win with a free-kick goal in the 90th minute. With this strike, Messi scored his 70th goal from set-pieces, equaling the legendary Brazilian Pele, who passed away in late 2022.
The record for most free-kick goals is held by Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano with 77 strikes. The top five also includes Ronaldinho and Victor Le Grotallier (66 each), while Cristiano Ronaldo has 64 free-kick goals to his name.
Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, spent his prime years at Barcelona. He played for Paris Saint-Germain from 2021 until 2023, when he moved to the United States to join Inter Miami.
