Football

'Much better than that penalty merchant'- Fans react as Lionel Messi becomes only player to score 700 non-penalty goals

Lionel Messi's late winner in the 94th minute, from a free kick from 25 yards out, lead Inter Miami to win against Cruz Azul from Mexico 2-1.

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Daniel S
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Lionel Messi

(Source- Twitter)

Lionel Messi's late winner in the 94th minute, from a free kick from 25 yards out, lead Inter Miami to win against Deportivo Cruz Azul from Mexico 2-1 at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, for the Leagues Cup. With that goal, Messi has achieved his 700th goal from open play, without counting those he scored from penalties, and he also reached the same number of victories in his career.

Messi was criticized for selecting Inter Miami, over Barcelona. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter Miami last weekend, which will pay him between $50 million and $60 million per year. The Argentinian has achieved great numbers in his career and has smashed all kinds of records, something he will surely continue to do with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer (MLS.

Messi still breaking records

He came off the bench in the 54th minute to replace midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, with Inter Miami leading 1-0. Messi was immediately given the captain's armband by his friend. The Argentine became the league's first FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball champion with his debut. Leo became the first player in history to score a free kick on his debut.

He now has scored 700 non-penalty goals. His 621 goals came for the clubs, and 79 goals were recorded for his country. Messi scored 111 non-penalty goals in UEFA Champions League and 74 goals in club competitions. His league goals are 436 which is also higher than Ronaldo who has netted 409 goals.

The Argentine had achieved 542 wins with Barcelona, 108 with the Argentina national team, 49 with PSG, and now his first with Inter Miami. The 36-year-old is the second-highest active goal scorer in football history at the level of matches recognized by FIFA. After scoring the free-kick he stated, "I knew I had to score, it was the last play of the game. I wanted to score so we didn’t go to penalties. It was very important for us to get this win, it’s a new tournament, it’s going to give us confidence moving forward."  The World Cup winner will be happy to reach this achievement.

Here's how fans reacted

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