Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi scored 62 direct free-kick goals in his career — the most by any active player at the time of his 2023 MLS move, and a tally that eclipses #4 Lionel Messi's own earlier phase by a 50% increase since 2016. His free-kick technique evolved significantly from 2016 onwards, when he developed a low, skimming strike that dips late under the bar rather than curling over a wall. He scored 9 direct free-kicks at the 2022 World Cup qualification stage alone, a figure 3 times faster than the typical international campaign for elite takers. His World Cup free-kick against Croatia in the 2022 semifinal, struck at 95 km/h with a 1.8 metre late dip, was technically analysed as among the most difficult free-kicks ever converted.