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Messi Has Now Scored More Free Kicks Goals Than Penalties Since 2018. Free-kick goals since 2018: 36, Penalty goals since 2018: 34
In football penalties are supposed to be “easy” 12 yards out, no wall, just you against the keeper.
Free-kicks? It’s 20-30 yards out, a vaulting wall, a curving run-up, elite goalkeepers reading your dips and dives, and physics working against you.
Yet, since January 2018, Lionel Messi has completely flipped the script.
Free-kick goals since 2018: 36
Penalty goals since 2018: 34
Yes you read that right. The man many once called “not a penalty taker” (an early-career controversy) has now scored more goals from the spot than from impossible set-pieces in the last eight years.
The milestone exploded online after his recent beauty against Orlando City in MLS, pushing his numbers over the edge.
Penalties are clinical by design. Conversion rates are close to 75-80% across the league. Free-kicks? Top experts rarely give a career-long break of 10-15%. Messi didn’t just beat the odds he wrote them back.
From 2018-2019 alone, Messi hit 18 free-kicks (10 in 2018, 8 in 2019)—a ridiculous purple patch that no one has matched in the modern era.
Even after he moved to the continent (PSG → Inter Miami) at age 35, the magic hasn’t faded. He’s added many more in MLS, including that signature left-foot knuckle/dip/curl with a screamer.
Career free-kick total? As of March 2026, Messi is tied with Pele for all-time 70 seconds, just 7 behind Juninho Pernambucano's 77 (records differ slightly in historical calculations, but Messi's ascent is undisputed).
For a comparison over the same period (since 2018):
Cristiano Ronaldo: 11 free-kicks vs. 80 penalties (he leans heavily on spot-kicks).
The gap tells its own story.
It's not luck. It's engineering:
Vision and precision : he sees gaps in the wall milliseconds before striking.
Technique : that unique "banana" dip + knuckleball effect sends the ball flying violently after it's cleared the wall.
Consistency : he's scored at least one direct free-kick goal in 19 consecutive years (2008-2026), the longest streak in modern football history.
Evidence of pressure : many of these have come in huge games: El Clasicos, Champions League knockouts, international ties.
At 38, in a less intense league, he's still converting free-kicks at a rate that embarrasses most experts half his age.
Social media immediately lit up
"Free-kicks are now our penalties "
"Penalties are for the people. Free-kicks are Messi's art form."
"A good 25 yards with the wall is better than most from 12. Physics is what it's called - it's crying."
These stats aren't just numbers, they're proof that Messi's talent transcends volume or trophies. While others rack up the easy, he turns the most difficult set-piece into his signature.
As one viral post put it "A wall, a keeper and a 20+ meter hit, he was even more deadly from the spot."
The debate rages on, but one thing is clear, Lionel Messi isn't just the best overall player. He's the greatest dead ball wizard the game has ever seen and at 38, he's still adding to the legend.