Watch infographics: Messi outscoring Ronaldo, Pele in freekick goals. But he’s not No 1 yet

Argentine great Lionel Messi recently entered the 900-career goals club and sits 64 shy of his nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo (965). Messi, who turns 39 in June, might not break Ronaldo's tally as the Portuguese superstar refuses to retire even at 41.

However, there is one scoring record within Messi's reach that he could surpass before turning 40. It is the career freekick goals tally. With 71 freekick goals, Messi sits second in the all-time list behind Juninho Pernambucano. Brazilian playmaker Juninho, who retired in 2013, is regarded as one of the greatest dead-ball specialists and is generally credited with 77 free-kick goals.

(Check out the infographics showing a timeline of freekick goals scored by some of the greats of the men's game, namely Pele, Juninho Pernambucano, David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Messi. Please note that the yearly tally of goals could vary slightly)

Though retired Brazilians Marcelinho Carioca and Roberto Dinamite are also credited with 75-plus career free-kick goals, some of those strikes are not widely accepted because of the nature of the tournaments, allegedly including state championships or unofficial games.

As a result, Juninho's tally of 77, which is also sometimes disputed, largely remains a gold standard and is the figure to beat. On March 22, Messi went past legendary Brazilian Pele (70) when he scored a freekick for Inter Miami against New York City in a 3-2 win.

Messi and Ronaldo have had a healthy rivalry over scoring all type of goals, especially from freekicks, for nearly two decades. It was Ronaldo, with his powerful right foot, who led the early stats till 2010 before Messi, using his magical left, started catching up.

By 2020, when the rockstars were still plying their trade in Europe, Messi and Ronaldo were in the 50-freekick-goals-club. Ronaldo still had a slender lead, but by June 2021, the order flipped. Messi scored a spectacular goal for Argentina against Chile in the Copa America to surpass Ronaldo, who was stuck on 56.

Ever since, Messi has been in front, and he also went past a few other freekick specialists in the ensuing years, namely David Beckham (65) and his former Barcelona teammate Ronaldinho (66).

By the end of last year, Messi had five freekick goals more than Ronaldo (64) and now he has stretched the lead to seven. But the lead that matters is the one in front of him, a six-goal difference with Juninho.

In the last five years, Messi has averaged three freekick goals a year. So should he continue his dead-ball brilliance throughout the year and keep going until at least he reaches the age of 40, Messi might finish an already storied career, decorated by a plethora of trophies, including a World Cup, with a seemingly unbeatable freekick goals record.