How many free-kicks has Lionel Messi scored in his career? Which player has scored the most?

It was written in the stars. On his much-anticipated debut for Inter Miami, Lionel Messi comes off the bench and wins the Leagues Cup fixture against Cruz Azul by scoring a free-kick deep into injury time. Cue incredible scenes in the DRV PNK Stadium and Herons co-owner David Beckham losing it in the stands. The Liga MX club scoring an equalising goal minutes after the Argentina captain had come on did just enough to make the script believable.

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Messi breaks another of Maradona’s records

Since bursting onto the scene in the early 2000s, Messi has been constantly compared and contrasted with Diego Maradona, his idol, as is the case for so many in Argentina. Last year, the 36-year-old repeated his compatriot’s feat of leading his country to the World Cup trophy, and during the tournament surpassed his tallies of World Cup appearances and goals.

And thanks to his strike against Cruz Azul, he has now beaten another one of Maradona’s records. According to soccer stats gurus Opta, Messi scored the 63rd free-kick of his career on Friday, moving him ahead of the former Napoli star. Those 63 can be broken down as follows:

Beckham among players to have scored more free-kicks than Messi

In terms of elite level players, Messi, ironically enough, still trails Beckham, who scored 65 for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and England, as well as former Barça teammate Ronaldinho (66), fellow Argentine Victor Legrotaglie (68) and Pelé (70). Cristiano Ronaldo, according to the messivsronaldo app, has scored 60, just so you know.

For players for whom statistics have been collected, ex-Lyon and Brazil star Juninho Pernambucano, famous for popularising the “knuckle-ball” technique, leads the way with 77. Surely even Messi will struggle to get near that total before his career comes to an end?