Messi pulls away from Cristiano Ronaldo in a battle that CR7 once came to dominate: this is how the fight for free kicks stands
In 2016, Cristiano led the Argentine 50-32 in direct free-kick goals. Ten years later, the Argentine reversed the gap and, after his latest goal with Inter Miami, now leads the record 76-64.
Lionel Messi scored again from a free kick and extended a gap over Cristiano Ronaldo that ten years ago seemed hard to imagine . The Argentine scored against Columbus Crew and reached 76 direct free-kick goals in his career, while CR7 remains on 64.
The evolution of the statistics shows the change clearly. In 2016, when Cristiano reached 50 free-kick goals, Messi had 32 : an 18-goal advantage for the Portuguese. A decade later, the tally has turned around and the Argentine is 12 ahead (76-64). In other words, from that point on Messi scored 44 direct free kicks and Cristiano, 14.
From 18 down to 12 up: Messi turned the score around
The latest came with Inter Miami in the 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew. Messi took a free kick from a tight angle and beat the goalkeeper to make it 1-1 temporarily. The tie did not last: Jamal Thiaré scored in added time and gave the home team the victory.
The free kick against Columbus was also Messi's sixth in 2026. This year he had already scored from that route against New York City, Jordan, Montreal —on two occasions— and San Diego. That output widened the gap over Cristiano and also brought him closer to the top of the all-time rankings of specialists.
Marcelinho Carioca holds first place in the ranking with 78 free-kick goals. Messi, with 76, is two short of that figure and has already surpassed the records attributed to Jair Rosa Pinto (74), Roberto Dinamite (73), and Juninho Pernambucano (72).
"The evolution of Cristiano Ronaldo on free kicks helps explain how Messi ended up overturning a statistic that the Portuguese dominated for years. In 2011, at the height of his time with Real Madrid, CR7 averaged one direct free-kick goal every eight matches and finished that year with a wide advantage over Messi, who had only four goals from that route. Fifteen years later, the scenario is very different: Cristiano went on to score only one or two free kicks per season, while the Argentine kept closing the gap until he reversed it. Today, the count favors Messi 76-64.
The change in positions was completed in 2021 . Messi began that year with 48 free-kick goals to Cristiano's 47 , and from then on he gradually widened the gap. Five years later, the difference stands at 12 goals in favor of the Argentine.
The full trajectory sums up the shift: Cristiano once held an 18-goal lead when the score stood at 50-32; today Messi is 12 ahead at 76-64. A 30-goal difference between both ends of the comparison and, for Leo, another nearby target: the 78 that the ranking used by Infobae attributes to Marcelinho Carioca.
