Argentine Lionel Messi broke up the partnership with his Portuguese rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, regarding the most current players, who scored goals from direct free kicks.
By scoring a goal from a direct free kick against Ecuador in the Copa America, Messi raised the number of his goals from direct free kicks to 58, surpassing Ronaldo, who scored 57 and approaching the record recorded by the late Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona with 61 goals.
⚽️📈 Lionel Messi dépasse Cristiano Ronaldo et devient le meilleur buteur en activité sur coup franc 🎯 pic.twitter.com/NhxlXfAtZu
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) July 4, 2021
Messi led his country to reach the semi-finals after beating Ecuador with three clean goals, in a match that was its first hero by providing two crucial passes, and scoring the third goal from a direct free kick in the last breath, to make Messi the star of the competition with four goals and four assists so far.