Lionel Messi nails incredible Club World Cup free-kick winner
Even at the age of 37, Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is still producing moments of absolute magic to ignite the Club World Cup.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Lionel Messi lit up the Club World Cup with a majestic winner that fans reckon should earn him a ridiculous ninth Ballon d’Or.
The iconic attacker conjured incredible curl to flash home a free-kick as Inter Miami stunned Portuguese giants Porto with a 2-1 comeback victory, as The Sun reports.
Watch every game of The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
David Beckham’s team went wild after 37-year-old Messi’s deadball detonation left viewers claiming the Argentine was as good as ever.
One fan raved: “He is incredible! Messi is from another planet! Give him the ballon d’Or!”
Another wrote: “The curl on that! What a goal from the greatest ever.”
A third posted: “You don’t leave the legend with a foul like that to score the goal.”
A fourth added: The GOAT doing GOAT things.”
If anything, Messi’s strike looked even better when seen on the innovative Ref Cam, which you can see below.
It showed the ex-Barcelona hero making his magic look easy, as with barely any backlift he whipped the ball home from a central position just outside the penalty area.
Miami had roared back after Samu Aghehowa’s early penalty opener for Porto in front of 31,783 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
And in fact that spot-kick was a soft decision, following a VAR intervention when Noah Allen was spotted making slight contact on Joao Mario.
Venezuela midfielder Telasco Segovia thumped Miami level just 96 seconds into the second half.
And Messi – the night’s star performer for so much more than his goal – completed the turnaround seven minutes later with his vintage swerver.
Porto did pour forward late on, with Aghehowa blazing high.
But Becks’ MLS club now share top place in Group A with Palmeiras, both on four points from two games.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission
Originally published as Lionel Messi nails incredible Club World Cup free-kick winner