Lionel Messi bolstered his 2023 Ballon d’Or resume on Ligue 1 matchday 24, scoring the game-winning goal for Paris Saint-Germain in its 4-3 home win over Lille OSC.
Messi stepped up to the plate in the late stages of the Ligue 1 match to take a free-kick attempt, and to the sheer shock of the Lille OSC squad, he ended up hitting the back of the net. PSG held on from there, as it picked up its first win in 15 days.
Messi has scored 61 free-kick goals in his career, and this was his second such score of the ongoing Ligue 1 campaign. As noted by the official Twitter account for ESPN Latin America’s SportsCenter, Messi’s 61 free-kick goals equal that of which Diego Maradona finished his career with. Overall, six out of Maradona’s 61 such goals came while with the Argentina national team.
MESSI IGUALÓ A MARADONA: con su golazo ante Lille, Leo alcanzó a Maradona como el argentino con más goles de tiro libre. pic.twitter.com/rr4mLHK6d2
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) February 19, 2023
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has recorded 21 goal contributions in Ligue 1 this season with 11 goals and 10 assists in 19 such matches played.
