Lionel Messi wasn’t always this good at free-kicks

Lionel Messi is in the midst of yet another exceptional season, but his quality from set-pieces is still surprising.

After Lionel Messi delivered a ridiculous Panenka free-kick goal against Espanyol at the end of March, a universal truth was brought to light. Not only is Messi’s vision, passing, dribbling and mental processing on a level that’s robotic, but his ability in dead-ball situations is just as inhuman.

Though it’s easy to overreact to one outlandish goal, the truth is Messi’s free-kicks have been the world’s most lucrative goalscoring opportunities in dead-ball situations. Just this season, Messi has seven free-kick goals in all competitions, meaning, per WhoScored.com, he has more goals than any other player in set-piece situations. That includes those who score headed goals on corners or indirect free-kicks, such as Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik.

In fact, Messi’s 20 free-kick goals in the past five seasons are the most of any player in Europe’s top five league’s, and it isn’t even close; Mirelem Pjanic is second with 11. Though Pjanic, Paulo Dybala and 14 others are more efficient in terms of goals per attempt, no distinction is made by WhoScored between direct and indirect free-kicks. Going back to 2012-13, the numbers are even more stark.

But Messi wasn’t always the top goalscoring free-kick taker in the world. From 2009 to 2013, Messi scored just five goals from set pieces. That’s a total he quickly equaled in the 2014 campaign, and it’s a number he’s surpassed in each of his past three seasons.

With several games still left to play, the Barcleona icon is in the driver’s seat with seven free-kick goals and doesn’t appear to be stopping soon. Any player with the technical ability to score this ludicrous chip has the potential to be unstoppable on free kicks, and the fact that Messi only gets better with age on set pieces is downright scary.

The way he takes free-kicks is so graceful, too. Whereas he used to generate more power with, his current technique involves a shorter run-up where he creates this exquisite, looping curve that no keeper can truly read. Messi free-kicks are hit closer to the instep of his foot now, and the result is a more consistent shot that leads to perfectly-placed goals or second-chance attempts that hit the target. He’s willing to keep keepers on their toes, too, with attempts to both sides of goal, and at various heights.

Statistically the best player in dead-ball situations this season, Messi’s gradual transformation into a free-kick maestro has been delightful to watch. As he sits as Europe’s leading goalscorer (33) and second-placed assist-creator (12), Messi has reminded us in 2019 that he’s capable of anything and just might be the greatest of all time. Even at 31, he’s the best in the world, and because his technique only gets more refined, fans should look forward to him scoring 20 goals in a season from free-kicks alone. That may seem like a joke, but at this point it seems like no feat is unfeasible for No. 10.