The Barcelona superstar netted his 21st direct free-kick in league play on Sunday to give his club a late victory against Alaves
Lionel Messi’s past due strike towards Alaves on Sunday gave Barcelona the 2-1 win, and additionally gave the Argentine the advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga free-kick goals.
With Sunday’s game deadlocked inside the 84th minute, Messi curled domestic a dead-ball effort to earn a victory for the league leaders at the Camp Nou.
It was Messi’s 21st career direct free-kick intention in La Liga, giving the Argentine the most of any player for the since Opta began accumulating records in 2003-04.
Messi and Real Madrid megastar Ronaldo went into the mach deadlocked at 20, however the late winner in opposition to Alaves noticed the Argentine positioned his head in the front.
21 – Lionel Messi has scored 21 direct free-kick goals in La Liga, more than any other player since at least 2003/04 (Cristiano Ronaldo, 20). Magic. pic.twitter.com/5INzUggstM
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 28, 2018
Sunday’s match marked huge milestone for the 30 years old, who made his 200th career Liga appearance on the Camp Nou.
Messi has notched a terrific 211 goals and 74 assists in the 200 appearances.
Barcelona’s win restored their 11-point benefit over Atletico Madrid on the pinnacle of La Liga.