Rashford Ended Leo Messi Status As Only Barcelona Freekick Scorer Against Real Madrid In The Century

One of the best players in FC Barcelona’s championship-winning victory over Real Madrid on Sunday was Marcus Rashford, who opened the score with a spectacular free kick. In addition to the goal’s importance, Rashford’s goal ended Lionel Messi’s record as the only Barcelona player to score a direct free kick against Real Madrid in the twenty-first century.

Coach Hansi Flick looked to Rashford to start on the right wing while Lamine Yamal was sidelined due to injury and Raphinha was still recovering. Flick’s faith was almost immediately rewarded when the Englishman scored in his most recent La Liga start on April 4 against Atletico Madrid.

Rashford moved up to take the free kick from the right side after Antonio Rudiger fouled Ferran Torres on the edge of the box. In just the ninth minute, Rashford decided to drive the ball toward Thibaut Courtois’s near post and caught the Belgian goalkeeper with a step to his left. The thunderous effort was unstoppable, starting what would turn out to be a 2-0 victory.

By doing this, Rashford broke Messi’s record as the only Barcelona player to score a direct free kick against Real Madrid in the twenty-first century. Messi had accomplished that feat twice while he was a member of the team, making the record even more unique.

Out of over 100 attempts, Barcelona has only converted three direct free kicks since Messi’s departure in 2021; Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, and Pablo Torre have each scored one. With Rashford’s goal, the total now stands at four, which highlights the club’s notable decline in free kick accuracy since the Argentine’s departure.

Messi’s goals from free kicks against Real Madrid
With 71 goals and just one behind Juninho Pernambucano for a spot in the top three, Lionel Messi is currently getting closer to the top tier of all-time free kick scorers. Wearing the Barcelona shirt, he scored two of those goals against Real Madrid.

The first came in August 2012 when Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup after Messi curled a spectacular long-range free kick past Iker Casillas at the Santiago Bernabéu in the second leg. Just two months later, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo each scored two goals in a 2-2 draw in a La Liga game at Camp Nou.