LaLiga: Lionel Messi nets 50th free-kick goal in Barcelona's 5-1 win

Lionel Messi missed the start of the 2019-20 LaLiga season. His display against Real Valladolid, however, went a long way in making up for the lost time. The Argentine wizard curled in a 35-yard freekick to net Barcelona's third goal in their 5-1 win over Real Valladolid. 

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Milestone

In netting Barcelona's third of the night, Lionel Messi also went on to register a personal milestone. The free-kick against Real Valladolid was Messi's 50th of his career. Former Barcelona B goalkeeper Jordi Masip was in goal for the visitors. But all his training with the B team of the Blaugrana could do little to prepare the Real Valladolid stopper for this night. Messi's free-kick was aimed with such precision that the ball nestled perfectly in the right-hand corner of the goal. Barcelona fans were treated to a sublime free-kick, as they celebrated by doing an "All hail Lionel Messi" celebration in the stands. 

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LaLiga: Lionel Messi's staggering numbers

Since the start of the 2016-17 season, no player has scored more free-kick goals in Europe's top five leagues. Lionel Messi is currently top of the charts with 16 free-kick goals, followed by Alexander Kolarov, Paulo Dybala, Nabil Fekir and Enis Bardhi, who have all scored six free-kick goals since then. Lionel Messi also went on to score another goal on the night, before setting up Luis Suarez for Barcelona's fifth goal against the visitors. 

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Messi's man-of-the-match display against Real Valladolid means that the Argentine great has now scored four goals in his last three games. His total also means that Messi has been directly involved in 51 goals in the calendar year; just two behind Manchester City's Raheem Sterling. Forty-four of Lionel Messi's free-kicks have come in the Barcelona shirt, while the remaining six have been registered while on international duty for Argentina. In the last five seasons, Messi has scored from a total of 20 free-kicks. In comparison, Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Juventus have scored 12, 13, 13 and 15 goals during the period. 

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