Lionel Messi nears all-time free-kick record after his strike for Inter Miami vs San Diego FC

Lionel Messi found the net from a dead ball once again during Inter Miami‘s 2-2 draw with San Diego FC, a match that also saw Luis Suárez get on the scoresheet, and in doing so moved himself even closer to a record that has stood for years.

The goal was Messi’s 75th career free-kick, pushing him past Brazil’s Jair, who had 74, and into outright second place on the all-time list of free-kick scorers in football history. The strike also brought his overall career total to 930 goals across club and country.

The only player still ahead of him is Marcelinho Carioca, the retired Brazilian who scored 78 over the course of his career, meaning Messi needs just four more to set a new record. The rest of the all-time top five rounds out with Roberto Dinamite in fourth on 73 and Juninho in fifth with 72.

Inter Miami are next in action against Columbus Crew on Sunday, after which Messi will link up with the Argentina squad for the international break, when he’ll play his final match for the national team against Benin on October 6.

A weapon spread across four clubs

Over more than two decades, Messi has turned the free-kick into one of his signature weapons, spreading his tally across every stop of his career rather than piling it up at a single club.

The bulk of them, 50, came during his time at Barcelona, with another 12 scored for Argentina at the international level. Inter Miami accounts for 11 of his free-kick goals since he joined MLS, while his brief spell at Paris Saint-Germain produced 2.

Messi’s race to 1,000 with Cristiano Ronaldo

Messi’s 930 career goals still leave him well behind the pace set by his longtime rival. Cristiano Ronaldo sits on 979 official career goals for club and country, just 21 shy of becoming the first player in history to reach 1,000.

At his current scoring rate, Ronaldo remains the heavy favorite to get there first, with Messi needing 70 more just to catch up. Ronaldo has scored 24 or more goals in all but one of the past 22 seasons, a level of consistency that makes reaching the milestone well within reach even at 41 years old.