Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi has moved ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo on the all-time list of direct free-kick goals after scoring in his side’s 2-2 draw with San Diego FC in Major League Soccer.
Messi found the net in the 24th minute on Sunday, curling a left-footed free kick into the far corner after Inter Miami had fallen behind to an early goal from San Diego’s Anders Dreyer. The strike brought Messi’s direct free-kick tally to 75.
The goal moved the Argentine above Ronaldo, who is credited with 64 direct free-kick goals in the historical rankings cited by recent reports. Messi is now second on the list, behind Brazilian legend Marcelinho Carioca, who has 78.
Messi’s latest milestone came only four days after he scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in a 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul in the Campeones Cup. He reached that landmark in his 115th appearance for the club.
Against San Diego, Messi’s goal also took his Inter Miami total to 101 and his overall career tally to 930 goals, according to reports. The match eventually ended 2-2 after Dreyer scored his second goal to earn San Diego a point.
The achievement adds another chapter to the long-running statistical comparison between Messi and Ronaldo, who have dominated discussions about elite goalscoring and individual records for more than a decade.
Messi has scored the majority of his direct free kicks for Barcelona, with additional goals for Argentina, Inter Miami and Paris Saint-Germain. His 75-goal tally leaves him three behind Marcelinho’s reported record of 78.
At 39, Messi continues to add milestones during his Inter Miami career. He joined the club in 2023 and has helped Miami win four trophies, including the 2025 MLS Cup and 2026 Campeones Cup.
