Ronaldo has also scored 2 goals from indirect free kicks inside the box (where the free kick was rolled to Ronaldo to score) - confusingly, Opta count 1 of these, meaning they put Ronaldo on 57 free kick goals.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have had somewhat curious journeys when it comes to their free kick records.
Ronaldo quickly became known for scoring fairly outrageous free kick goals during his Manchester United career - in fact his first United goal was from a free kick. Some years later he introduced the famous “knuckleball” technique with his iconic strike against Portsmouth, and scored from an impossible distance against Arsenal in the Champions League. He finished his Man Utd career with 5 goals in each of his last 2 seasons, and then continued this free kick form into his La Liga career, scoring 23 direct free kick goals in his first 5 seasons. However, that’s when things began to turn, as he netted just 9 free kicks in his final 4 seasons at Madrid, and has scored 1 free kick goal so far at Juventus.
Messi’s journey has been almost a mirror image to Ronaldo’s. Messi became Barcelona’s all time leading goalscorer in March 2012, at which point he had scored just 5 free kick goals (with Ronaldo on 30). Then, everything changed for Messi, as he went on to score 7 in 2012 alone, before averaging 6 free kick goals each year for the next 7 years. He even managed to score 10 free kicks in a single calendar year in 2018, and then followed it up with another 8 in 2019.
Messi’s transformation into the ultimate free kick specialist in the second half of his career has been quite staggering to witness, whereas Ronaldo’s increasing ineffectiveness compared to his early career form has been somewhat alarming.
The Numbers
In terms of the figures, these opposing journeys have merged almost in the same place, with Ronaldo currently on 56 career free kick goals and Messi on 55 all time free kick goals.
To highlight how different their routes to these totals have been, at the end of 2013 Ronaldo was on 39 free kick goals, with Messi on just 14!
Similarly, from 2017-2019, Messi scored 23 free kick goals to Ronaldo's 5; however, from 2009-2011, Ronaldo scored 21 direct free kick goals to Messi's 3.
There is some rationale behind Messi's relatively late transformation: he wasn't the undisputed free kick taker at Barcelona during his earlier years at the club, playing second-fiddle to Ronaldinho and Xavi until it became clear he was the greater threat.
If we look at how often Messi and Ronaldo score free kicks, it's actually Messi that has the edge here despite scoring less overall. Messi scores a free kick every 16.5 games, whereas Ronaldo scores a free kick every 18.8 games.
Of course, the momentum is seemingly with Messi, and it seems increasingly likely that he will finish with the greater number of free kick goals and ultimately win the battle of the free kick specialists.
Messi Free Kick Conversion Rate (League only)
League Season
Free Kick Attempts
Free Kick Goals
Free Kick Conversion Rate
2020-2021
25
2
8.0%
2019-2020
43
5
11.6%
2018-2019
41
6
14.6%
2017-2018
48
6
12.5%
2016-2017
37
2
5.4%
2015-2016
38
4
10.5%
2014-2015
37
2
5.4%
2014 - present
269
27
10.0%
Overall Totals
405
38
9.4%
Ronaldo Free Kick Conversion Rate (League only)
League Season
Free Kick Attempts
Free Kick Goals
Free Kick Conversion Rate
2020-2021
14
0
0.0%
2019-2020
19
1
5.3%
2018-2019
16
0
0.0%
2017-2018
15
0
0.0%
2016-2017
15
1
6.7%
2015-2016
26
1
3.8%
2014-2015
33
2
6.1%
2014 - present
138
5
3.6%
Overall Totals
520
31
6.0%
Interestingly, Messi now takes significantly more free kicks than he used to, whilst Cristiano is actually taking considerably fewer shots from free kicks than earlier in his career.
Before the 2014/15 season, Messi took 136 shots from direct free kicks in 10 La Liga seasons - an average of just 14 per season. Since then however, he has taken 269 shots at goal from free kicks, averaging 38 attempts per season.
In contrast, Ronaldo hit 382 free kick shots in 11 seasons before 2014/15 in the league (not including his season at Sporting) - an average of 35 per season. But since then he's taken 138 shots at goal from free kicks, averaging 19 attempts per season. This is 131 fewer free kick shots than Messi has attempted in the same period.
Before 2014/15: Messi 136 free kick shots (14 per season on average)
Before 2014/15: Ronaldo 382 free kick shots (35 per season on average)
After 2014/15: Messi 269 free kick shots (38 per season on average)
After 2014/15: Ronaldo 138 free kick shots (19 per season on average)
Despite this, Messi boasts a considerably better success rate, scoring 10.0% of his free kick shots in the league since 2014/15, with Ronaldo scoring 3.6% of his free kick attempts in the league since 2014/15.
Before 2014/15, Messi scored 8.1% of his free kick attempts (11 from 136), whereas Ronaldo scored 7.1% of his free kick shots (26 of 382).
Overall, in all league seasons played (excluding Ronaldo's season at Sporting), Messi has converted 9.4% of his free kick shots, whereas Ronaldo has converted 6.0% of his free kick shots.
Multiple Free Kicks Scored in a Game
Scoring from a free kick is a relatively rare thing; scoring two in a single game is almost unheard of. But both Messi and Ronaldo have achieved this feat on multiple occasions now.
Messi multiple free kicks in a game
11th Aug 2015 vs Sevilla (7th & 16th min) - UEFA Super Cup Final
8th Dec 2018 vs Espanyol (17th & 65th min) - La Liga
9th Nov 2019 vs Celta de Vigo (45th & 48th min) - La Liga
Ronaldo multiple free kicks in a game
15th Nov 2008 vs Stoke (3rd & 88th min) - Premier League
15th Sep 2009 vs FC Zurich (27th & 89th min) - Champions League Group Stage
15th May 2011 vs Villarreal (22nd & 90th min) - La Liga
Complete List of Messi Free Kick Goals
A complete list of all Messi free kick goals for Barcelona and Portugal.
Date
H/A
Team
Opponent
Score
Competition
Score after FK
31/01/2021
H
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
2-1
La Liga
1-0
09/01/2021
A
Barcelona
Granada
4-0
La Liga
3-0
16/07/2020
H
Barcelona
Osasuna
1-2
La Liga
1-1
09/11/2019
H
Barcelona
Celta Vigo
4-1
La Liga
3-1
09/11/2019
H
Barcelona
Celta Vigo
4-1
La Liga
2-1
29/10/2019
H
Barcelona
Real Valladolid
5-1
La Liga
3-1
06/10/2019
H
Barcelona
Sevilla
4-0
La Liga
4-0
01/05/2019
H
Barcelona
Liverpool
3-0
Champions League
3-0
02/04/2019
A
Barcelona
Villarreal
4-4
La Liga
3-4
30/03/2019
H
Barcelona
Espanyol
2-0
La Liga
1-0
17/03/2019
A
Barcelona
Real Betis
4-1
La Liga
1-0
08/12/2018
A
Barcelona
Espanyol
4-0
La Liga
4-0
08/12/2018
A
Barcelona
Espanyol
4-0
La Liga
1-0
18/09/2018
H
Barcelona
PSV Eindhoven
4-0
Champions League
1-0
18/08/2018
H
Barcelona
Alaves
3-0
La Liga
1-0
07/04/2018
H
Barcelona
Leganes
3-1
La Liga
1-0
04/03/2018
H
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
1-0
La Liga
1-0
01/03/2018
A
Barcelona
Las Palmas
1-1
La Liga
1-0
24/02/2018
H
Barcelona
Girona
6-1
La Liga
3-1
28/01/2018
H
Barcelona
Alaves
2-1
La Liga
2-1
14/01/2018
A
Barcelona
Real Sociedad
4-2
La Liga
4-2
18/10/2017
H
Barcelona
Olympiacos
3-1
Champions League
2-0
04/02/2017
H
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
3-0
La Liga
2-0
11/01/2017
H
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
3-1
Copa del Rey
3-1
08/01/2017
A
Barcelona
Villarreal
1-1
La Liga
1-1
05/01/2017
A
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
1-2
Copa del Rey
1-2
15/11/2016
H
Argentina
Colombia
3-0
World Cup Qualifier
1-0
21/06/2016
N
Argentina
USA
4-0
Copa America
2-0
10/06/2016
N
Argentina
Panama
5-0
Copa America
3-0
08/05/2016
H
Barcelona
Espanyol
5-0
La Liga
1-0
28/02/2016
H
Barcelona
Sevilla
2-1
La Liga
1-1
14/02/2016
H
Barcelona
Celta Vigo
6-1
La Liga
1-0
06/01/2016
H
Barcelona
Espanyol
4-1
Copa del Rey
2-1
12/12/2015
H
Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruna
2-2
La Liga
1-0
11/08/2015
H
Barcelona
Sevilla
5-4
UEFA Super Cup
1-1
11/08/2015
H
Barcelona
Sevilla
5-4
UEFA Super Cup
2-1
08/02/2015
A
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
5-2
La Liga
1-0
22/11/2014
H
Barcelona
Sevilla
5-1
La Liga
1-0
25/06/2014
N
Argentina
Nigeria
3-2
World Cup
2-1
20/04/2014
H
Barcelona
Athletic Bilbao
2-1
La Liga
2-1
02/03/2014
H
Barcelona
Almeria
4-1
La Liga
2-0
18/09/2013
H
Barcelona
Ajax
4-0
Champions League
1-0
05/05/2013
H
Barcelona
Real Betis
4-2
La Liga
3-2
16/02/2013
A
Barcelona
Granada
2-1
La Liga
2-1
13/10/2012
H
Argentina
Uruguay
3-0
World Cup Qualifier
3-0
07/10/2012
H
Barcelona
Real Madrid
2-2
La Liga
2-1
08/09/2012
H
Argentina
Paraguay
3-1
World Cup Qualifier
3-1
29/08/2012
A
Barcelona
Real Madrid
1-2
Supercopa de Espana
1-2
05/05/2012
H
Barcelona
Espanyol
4-0
La Liga
1-0
24/03/2012
A
Barcelona
Mallorca
2-0
La Liga
1-0
26/02/2012
A
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
2-1
La Liga
2-1
08/01/2011
A
Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruna
4-0
La Liga
2-0
06/03/2010
A
Barcelona
Almeria
2-2
La Liga
1-1
09/12/2009
A
Barcelona
Dynamo Kyiv
2-1
Champions League
2-1
04/10/2008
H
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
6-1
La Liga
3-0
Complete List of Ronaldo Free Kick Goals
A complete list of all Ronaldo free kick goals for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal.
Date
H/A
Team
Opponent
Score
Competition
Score after FK
08/09/2020
A
Portugal
Sweden
1-0
UEFA Nations League
1-0
04/07/2020
H
Juventus
Torino
4-1
Serie A
3-1
05/06/2019
H
Portugal
Switzerland
3-1
UEFA Nations League
1-0
15/06/2018
N
Portugal
Spain
3-3
World Cup
3-3
16/12/2017
H
Real Madrid
Gremio
1-0
Club World Cup
1-0
25/03/2017
H
Portugal
Hungary
3-0
World Cup Qualifier
3-0
25/01/2017
A
Real Madrid
Celta Vigo
2-2
Copa del Rey
1-1
19/11/2016
A
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
3-0
La Liga
1-0
14/09/2016
H
Real Madrid
Sporting CP
2-1
Champions League
1-1
12/04/2016
H
Real Madrid
Wolfsburg
3-0
Champions League
3-0
05/03/2016
H
Real Madrid
Celta Vigo
7-1
La Liga
3-0
08/12/2015
H
Real Madrid
Malmo
8-0
Champions League
3-0
23/05/2015
H
Real Madrid
Getafe
7-3
La Liga
2-2
11/04/2015
H
Real Madrid
Eibar
3-0
La Liga
1-0
29/04/2014
A
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
4-0
Champions League
4-0
26/03/2014
A
Real Madrid
Sevilla
1-2
La Liga
1-0
15/01/2014
A
Real Madrid
Osasuna
2-0
Copa del Rey
1-0
09/11/2013
H
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
5-1
La Liga
5-1
25/09/2013
A
Real Madrid
Elche
2-1
La Liga
1-0
06/09/2013
A
Portugal
Northern Ireland
4-2
World Cup Qualifier
4-2
14/04/2013
A
Real Madrid
Athletico Bilbao
3-0
La Liga
1-0
06/01/2013
H
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
4-3
La Liga
4-2
01/12/2012
H
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
2-0
La Liga
1-0
11/04/2012
A
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
4-1
La Liga
1-0
04/04/2012
H
Real Madrid
APOEL
5-2
Champions League
3-1
31/03/2012
A
Real Madrid
Osasuna
5-1
La Liga
4-1
15/11/2011
H
Portugal
Bosnia
6-2
Euro Qualifier Play-off
1-0
02/11/2011
A
Real Madrid
Lyon
2-0
Champions League
1-0
11/10/2011
A
Portugal
Denmark
1-2
Euro Qualifier
1-2
10/08/2011
H
Portugal
Luxembourg
5-0
Friendly
2-0
15/05/2011
A
Real Madrid
Villarreal
3-1
La Liga
3-1
15/05/2011
A
Real Madrid
Villarreal
3-1
La Liga
2-0
12/12/2010
A
Real Madrid
Real Zaragoza
3-1
La Liga
2-0
20/11/2010
H
Real Madrid
Athletico Bilbao
5-1
La Liga
4-1
19/10/2010
H
Real Madrid
AC Milan
2-0
Champions League
1-0
12/10/2010
A
Portugal
Iceland
3-1
Euro Qualifier
1-0
25/03/2010
A
Real Madrid
Getafe
4-2
La Liga
1-0
14/03/2010
A
Real Madrid
Real Valladolid
4-1
La Liga
1-0
21/02/2010
H
Real Madrid
Villarreal
6-2
La Liga
1-0
08/12/2009
A
Real Madrid
Marseille
3-1
Champions League
1-0
15/09/2009
A
Real Madrid
FC Zurich
5-2
Champions League
4-2
15/09/2009
A
Real Madrid
FC Zurich
5-1
Champions League
1-0
10/05/2009
H
Manchester United
Manchester City
2-0
Premier League
1-0
05/05/2009
A
Manchester United
Arsenal
3-1
Champions League
2-0
21/02/2009
H
Manchester United
Blackburn
2-1
Premier League
2-1
15/11/2008
H
Manchester United
Stoke City
5-0
Premier League
5-0
15/11/2008
H
Manchester United
Stoke City
5-0
Premier League
1-0
19/03/2008
H
Manchester United
Bolton
2-0
Premier League
2-0
30/01/2008
H
Manchester United
Portsmouth
2-0
Premier League
2-0
12/01/2008
H
Manchester United
Newcastle
6-0
Premier League
1-0
26/12/2007
A
Manchester United
Sunderland
4-0
Premier League
3-0
27/11/2007
H
Manchester United
Sporting CP
2-1
Champions League
2-1
04/11/2006
H
Manchester United
Portsmouth
3-0
Premier League
2-0
04/02/2006
H
Manchester United
Fulham
4-2
Premier League
2-0
04/06/2005
H
Portugal
Slovakia
2-0
World Cup Qualifier
2-0
01/11/2003
H
Manchester United
Portsmouth
3-0
Premier League
2-0
🔥 Messi Top 5 Free Kicks
These are obviously subjective, (and there are a lot to choose from!), but these are our picks for the top 5 free kicks of Lionel Messi's career.
5) Real Madrid - Spanish Super Cup Final 29th August 2012
To give a goalkeeper like Casillas zero chance from that far out is impressive. To do it in El Clasico in a Spanish Super Cup final is special.
4) Villarreal x2 - La Liga 8th January 2017 / 2nd April 2019
You're getting two for the price of one here. I know we said top 5, but these two efforts are basically the same goal against the same opposition, albeit two years apart! Top bins!
3) Colombia - World Cup Qualifier 15th November 2016
The accuracy is frightening.
2) Liverpool - Champions League Semi-final 1st May 2019
An absolutely sensational effort from distance in a huge match against one of the best goalkeeprs in the world, and arguably the best team in the world at the time.
1) USA - Copa America 22nd June 2016
Aesthetically perfect, this free kick was nominated for the Puskas award and it's easy to see why. Stunning.
🔥 Ronaldo Top 5 Free Kicks
5) Real Zaragoza - La Liga 12th December 2010
The goalkeeper doesn't even move! A superb knuckleball strike.
4) Atletico Madrid - La Liga 1st December 2012
Look how far out it is! And Ronaldo just nonchalently smashes it in, giving Courtois no chance.
3) Villarreal - La Liga 21st February 2010
This one is just insane. All that space to the keeper's right and he hammers it into the miniscule space on his left, hitting the inside of the post.
2) Arsenal - Champions League Semi-final 5th May 2009
Maybe it's generous putting this one at no.2 as the goalkeeping leaves a lot to be desired here. But the sheer distance on this warrants its spot for us. Unbelievable.
1) Portsmouth - Premier League 30th January 2008
Iconic. This one truly astounded Premier League viewers around the world - how did he do it?! To hit it with such pace and yet such control... deadly.
If you’re looking for more free kick stats, contact us on Twitter at @mvsrapp, and we’ll do our best to help.