This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress-Rabat-Fifa
The Argentinian still marked on a free kick, during the victory of Inter Miami over Porto. This efficiency, the Pulga took several years to shape it.
Faced with Porto, Lionel Messi scored the 68th free kick of his career
An important goal that allows Miami to dream of qualifying for the final of the Club World Cup
This precision on a stopped kick, the Argentinian developed it throughout a career by learning better
Lionel Messi had gold at the end of his feet from his birth, but he also learned to observe. When he joined the Barcelona team at the age of 18, Argentinian was quickly decisive. With his long hair and his Olympian calm, he ran at dazzling speed and sowed the defenders with disconcerting ease. His teammates did not hesitate to serve him, because they knew that something would happen.
But sometimes the darling child of football went back and let the established stars take matters into his own hands. When a free kick was obtained, Deco, Xavi and Ronaldinho found themselves around the ball and they decided to follow. The Pulga looked at. And learned.
Gradually, Messi began to pull the free kicks, both with Barcelona and in a national team. But success did not come overnight. If Dribbler and Marque were part of his DNA, the set kicks were less instinctive. But quickly, he knew how to master them, like all the other gestures of football. He even transformed this exercise into art.
In the second match A group A of the FIFA Club World Cup between Inter Miami CF and FC Porto and Atlanta, Messi scored an exceptional goal which sealed the victory of the North American club, which can still dream of reaching the direct elimination phase. Javier Mascherano’s team occupies second place in the group with four points, tied with Palmeiras, which is ahead of it.
“Look at Román. Am his example, small. Am his example. Alfio Basile, who was at the head of Argentina twice (1990-1994 and 2006-2008), was the first coach to call Messi as a national team. During the 2007 American COPA, organized in Venezuela, he took Messi aside and suggested to him to bring his left leg more forward to strike with more power and control.
Of course, Román, it was Juan Román Riquelme, then a great specialist in the team of the team who had finished unhappy finalist, beaten by Brazil 3-0. Messi had been established in each match of the competition in a group rich in stars like Carlos Tévez, Pablo Aimar, Hernán Crespo, Javier Mascherano and Roberto Ayala, to name a few.
Shortly after, curiosity has become an obsession. “I was not used to training my free kicks. One day, I decided to get started and I quickly realized that I had a great margin of progression. And I progressed! “Said the Argentinian genius. Its technique is to use the interior of the foot and to shoot by emphasizing precision rather than on the power, by wrapping above the wall or by hitting the goalkeeper side. One day, Juanjo Brau, physical coach of FC Barcelona, revealed that Messi “refused to leave training before having marked a last free kick in the skylight. »»
Quickly, his feet on a free kick became an effective weapon in all situations. The first, he scored it in 2008 against Atlético de Madrid. Since then, he has registered nearly 70, and some at crucial moments: against Real Madrid C. F. during the 2012 Spanish Cup, at the expense of Seville during the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, against the United States in the 2016 American COPA, against Liverpool in the semi-finals of the 2019 UEFA Champions League, facing Chile Du Copa America 2021, against Cruz Azul. Beginnings with Inter Miami on the occasion of the 2023 League Cup…
But that listed against Porto certainly counts among the most important. Messi is the figurehead of a club created barely five years ago and which today looks good on the international scene, in a competition which brings together the best teams on the planet. In the 54th minute, the defense of the Portuguese club committed a fault on the Argentinian, who advanced towards the goal after a relay with Suárez. The referee then whistled a free kick just at the entrance to the penalty area, full axis.
The captain of Inter Miami, who still likes to hide his shot, wrapped it in the left skylight of Cláudio Ramos to sign an improbable victory after the opening of Porto’s early score on penalty. “I saw that the goalkeeper was at the center of his goal and that it would be difficult to hit over the wall. I took advantage of the space he had left on his side and it returned, “he explained to Dazn’s microphone after the match.
“I am very happy, because the first meeting left us a bitter taste, we thought we could win it. But this victory is very important to all of us, “he said the match over once. This goal against Porto is the 68th scored on a free kick by Messi during his career. He scored 50 with Barcelona, 11 with Argentina, two with Paris Saint-Germain and five with Inter Miami, of which he is already the best scorer of all time.
Earlier this week, the Pulga posted a photo with the Italian legend Roberto Baggio, a great specialist in exercise in his time. Baggio attended the first inter Miami match in the competition against Al Ahly FC (0-0), alongside other legends including Alessandro Del Piero, another talented Italian. The latter spoke of the chance he had to see Messi play with his own eyes with FIFA. No matter his age: “He has a football pegged to the body. I hope he will do a very good tournament, and even an incredible tournament – as always. I’m always looking forward to watching him play. »»
