Messi breaks Pele's free-kick record

Lionel Messi has etched his name deeper into football history after breaking Pelé’s long-standing free-kick record, scoring his 71st career effort from a dead-ball situation during Inter Miami’s dramatic 3-2 comeback win over New York City on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

The milestone strike arrived at a crucial moment in the Major League Soccer clash, with Inter Miami trailing and struggling to regain control.

Messi stepped up just after the hour mark and delivered a free-kick that took a telling deflection off the wall, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and restoring parity at 2-2.

It was a goal that not only shifted the momentum of the match but also carried historic significance, as the Argentine moved ahead of Pelé in the all-time free-kick rankings.

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Earlier, Inter Miami had taken the lead through Gonzalo Luján before Nicolás Fernández Mercau equalised with a free-kick of his own, and Agustín Ojeda put the hosts ahead in the second half.

But Messi’s intervention reignited the visitors, paving the way for Micael to head home the winner and complete the turnaround.

Now, with 71 free-kick goals, Messi has his sights set on the ultimate benchmark, the 77 scored by Juninho Pernambucano.

Messi what a freekick, what a way to score your 901th goal 🐐 pic.twitter.com/x6ydiKO0KE

— MessiMania (@M10Update) March 22, 2026