Yesterday’s goal (May 30) helped Lionel Messi improve one of the records he holds, leaving behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s second place.
Lionel Messi continues to assert his legendary status by breaking his own record for goals scored from outside the box in football history. The Argentine star’s latest masterpiece in the match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United yesterday, May 30, raised the total number of goals he scored from outside the area to 160.
No player in the history of football has ever reached this figure. Not even the best long-distance shooting experts in the world can come close to Messi’s milestone.
Cristiano Ronaldo is far behind Messi in this parameter. The Portuguese superstar is the top scorer in the history of world football, but he only has 130 goals from shots outside the area.
Messi set a new record with 160 goals from outside the area
Ronaldo was once famous for his powerful long shots and free kicks. However, at the end of his career, Messi scored the most goals from outside the box. It should be noted that the Argentine superstar played… 163 fewer games than his opponent.
If free kicks are eliminated, Messi has 95 goals from long shots with a live ball. Meanwhile, Ronaldo only scored 68 goals without free kicks out of a total of 130 goals scored from outside the box.
Ronaldo’s most long-range goals in a season are 6 goals. He achieved it in the 2011/12 season. Meanwhile, Messi has reached or exceeded this figure 6 times in the seasons 2009/10 (8 goals), 2010/11 (7 goals), 2012/13 (6 goals), 2013/14 (6 goals), 2016. / 17 (10 goals) and 2020/21 (6 goals).
By scoring more goals in fewer games, Messi also has a significantly higher frequency of scoring from outside the box than Ronaldo. On average, every 11 games, Messi scores 1 goal from outside the area, while Ronaldo needs 18 games.
However, Messi’s extraordinary efforts were not enough to help Inter Miami maintain their incredible unbeaten streak. Despite Messi’s spectacular opening goal from outside the area, Inter Miami could not maintain their lead and had to accept a 1-3 home defeat.
Messi’s last goal is still a dangerous long shot that leaves the opposing goalkeeper defenseless. This is a clear demonstration of the diverse and outstanding scoring ability of the Argentine superstar.
