REVEALED! The top 20 dirtiest NBA players of all time
NBA
Lionel Messi is as efficient at taking free kicks as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is at winning 100-metre races - fact.
Every time the veteran steps over to take a direct free kick at the edge of the box, the opposition camp is always fidgeting. He strikes them so well that there is a better-than-good chance they will find the back of the net.
So good are his set pieces that the manager of his latest victim, FC Dallas - Nico Estévez - avers that Messi taking a free kick is almost the same as any other player taking a penalty: the likelihood of it going in is greater than him missing.
REVEALED! The top 20 dirtiest NBA players of all time
NBAWhen talking about some of the best free kicks the Argentine has scored in his career, a couple quickly come to mind. The one he bent against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semi-final is arguably the best goal he has ever scored.
Some may ask what tricks the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner uses While his ability on dead balls is unrivalled, a new video suggests that maybe the former Barcelona man uses underhanded tactics at times.
In the free kick he scored against FC Dallas to equalise the tie, Messi was seen moving the ball to get a perfect angle to strike it past the wall.
While the referee was busy issuing instructions to other players, the 36-year-old was spotted moving the ball a couple of metres to the left, which makes for hilarious viewing.
He kept adjusting where the ball was until he was satisfied with the final position. Once the whistle went, there was only one outcome - another Messi set piece goal.
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FootballThanks to the veteran's 'calculations,' Inter Miami forced the game to penalties, which they eventually won to seal their spot in the quarter-finals.
Sports Brief also reported on Inter Miami terminating the contract of Nick Marsman.
The Dutch goalkeeper questioned the club's signing of the Argentine months earlier.
Marsman made 29 appearances for the Herons since joining the MLS team in 2021.