Messi’s departure still a problem for Barcelona: The one aspect Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski haven’t filled
Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 marked a turning point in the club’s history. Burdened by financial issues, the Catalan side entered a period of transition, one they now appear to be emerging from, led by two stars: Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
Between the two of them, they seem to embody the qualities Messi brought to the team in his final years at Barcelona. Lewandowski contributes experience, international recognition, and prolific goal scoring, while Yamal brings flair, creativity, and a deep connection to the club.
However, there’s one key aspect in which Barcelona have yet to find a solution since Leo’s exit: free kicks. According to AS, in the four years since Messi left for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in 2021, Los Blaugranas have scored just 3 goals from direct free kicks.
In fact, during the first two seasons after the Argentine forward’s departure, Barcelona didn’t score a single free-kick goal. That streak was finally broken in 2023–24, when Ferran Torres scored against Real Betis. In that same campaign, Robert Lewandowski found the net against Valencia.
In the 2024–25 season, the only player to score a free-kick goal was Pablo Torre, against Sevilla. So far this season, no one has managed it. Notably, Lamine Yamal has yet to score from a free kick, despite being one of the most technically gifted strikers of the ball in open play in the world.
How many free-kick goals did Messi score for Barcelona?
Barcelona’s poor numbers over the past four seasons become even more striking when compared to Lionel Messi’s free-kick statistics. He wasn’t always the dead-ball specialist he is today, but through hard work and consistency, he gradually mastered that part of his game.
Over 17 seasons with Barcelona, Messi scored 50 free-kick goals. His first took a while—it came in October 2008 against Atletico Madrid, nearly four years after his professional debut.
Up until the 2011–12 season, Leo had scored just 7 free-kick goals in his career, but things changed dramatically after that. Gradually, he improved his numbers, peaking with an incredible 7 free-kick goals in both the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons. His final free-kick goal for Barcelona came on May 2, 2021, against Valencia.
Messi is closing in on the all-time free-kick record
Lionel Messi’s talent and growth in free-kick execution allowed him to dominate that skill not only at Barcelona, but also with every team he has played for. In addition to the 50 he scored with the Catalan side, Leo has registered 2 with PSG, 6 with Inter Miami, and 11 with Argentina.
Those numbers put Messi fourth on the all-time list of free-kick scorers in soccer history. The Argentine forward has 69 goals from direct free kicks, just three behind Juninho Pernambucano, who has 72. Above Messi are also Roberto Dinamite (75) and Marcelinho Carioca (78).