Leo Messi’s 30 goals from direct free kicks

Leo Messi demonstrates on a daily basis that he is world class. He not only scores goals and provides assists, but he also breaks records with incredible regularity. The Argentinian has 534 goals for Barça, and 30 of these have been direct from a free-kick. He's netted another six with his national team.

Barça's second goal against Alavés, key to confirming the comeback and earning the three points, was yet another example of his accuracy with the dead ball. It was his eighth goal this January, a month of the year where he has scored 77 goals in total during his career.

He has scored a direct free-kick every year since 2008 and has managed it in every competition except the Club World Cup: Liga (21), Copa del Rey (4), Champions League (3), Spanish Super Cup (1) and the European Super Cup (1).

Athletic Club are his favourite 'victims', against whom he's hit five of the 30. All with poor Gorka Iraizoz in goal!

With four conceded (by Beto and Sergio Álvarez), including two in the same game, Sevilla are second in this particular list, and in third place are Espanyol with three conceded: one by Cristian Álvarez and the other two by Pau López.

For Argentina too

Messi has also scored six direct free-kick goals with the Argentine national team: one in the 2014 World Cup against Nigeria, two in the Copa America, against Panama and the USA , and three in the qualifying round for the World Cup in Russia, against Paraguay, Uruguay and Colombia.