After getting snubbed at recent Ballon d'Or event Lionel Messi has silenced his critics by giving exemplary performance against Espanyol on Sunday in Catalan derby. Barcelona skipper scored two astonishing goals from the free kick spot. Magical Messi also surpassed many big clubs with his unreal performance in the match.
Since 2012, Leo has now scored 19 goals from direct free-kick which is highest in terms of any player but also in terms of club team. He surpassed Italian giants Juventus goal tally (from free kick) 18 and single-handedly achieved this unique feat.
Barcelona's biggest rival in Spanish football Real Madrid are far behind Messi's stats and have scored only 14 goals alongside Lyon and AS Roma.
Recently the five-time Ballon d'Or winner came fifth on this year's prestigious France-based award list where Madrid's Luka Modric broke the 10-year long domination of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Apart from two goals the Barca skipper also provided an assist to Frenchman Ousmane Dembele with his unreal dribbling in the first half.
This year has not been memorable for one of the greatest players as his team was eliminated from Champions League 2017-2018 and later from FIFA World Cup at quarterfinal stage but his individual performance this year was better than many high-profile players.
Under Messi's leadership, FCB are right now on the top of points table with three points lead over Sevilla and in UCL also they have qualified for the Round of 16 stage.
