MX23RW : Friday, November 8 14:51:26| >> :60:927:927:

Lionel Messi's remarkable free kick stat compared to Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil

Lionel Messi's remarkable free kick record compared to Sanchez, Ozil
© Reuters
Lionel Messi has now scored eight direct free kicks this season - as many as two of the other top-10 best-paid footballers have goals of any type combined.

Barcelona icon Lionel Messi has remarkably scored as many direct free kicks this season as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have scored any type of goals combined.

Messi hit the 600-goal landmark for Barcelona with a stunning 30-yard free kick against Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday - his second of the night to take the tie away from Liverpool.

It was also the 31-year-old's eighth goal direct from a free kick this season, which is twice as many as any other player has managed in Europe's top five leagues.

Incredibly, that means that Messi has scored as many goals from direct free kicks alone as Sanchez and Ozil have scored of any type in 2018-19.

Sanchez and Ozil were recently named among the top 10 highest-paid footballers in the world by monthly wage according to L'Equipe, but they have endured underwhelming campaigns with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Sanchez has scored just two goals in 26 appearances for United this season, whereas Ozil has netted six times in 32 games.

By contrast, Messi - who tops the list of best-paid players - has notched 48 times in 46 outings across all competitions in 2018-19.

ID:358050: cacheID:358050:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2585:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Philippe Coutinho celebrates scoring for Barcelona on April 16, 2019
Read Next:
Coutinho agent 'swarmed by Prem interest'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!