The only thing missing from Messi's collection is an overhead kick

Matt Morley 5 years ago 3.5k
Messi has celebrated plenty of goals over the course of his career. BeSoccer

With Lionel Messi closing in on 400 La Liga goals for Barcelona, it is fair to say he has much more to his game than just a wand of a left foot, though there is one work of art missing from Messi's personal gallery.

There is little doubt that the diminutive Argentine has the best left foot in modern football, with 311 of his 383 goals having come from that source.

However, his right foot is also pretty handy, having only failed to score with his weaker foot during two of his 14 seasons with Barcelona, managing 57 right-footed strikes over the course of a season, an average of four per season.

Given his height, it is understandable that headed goals proved harder to come by, with Messi having to wait until the 2008/2009 season, his fifth with Barca, to score the first of his 14 headed goals.

Curiously, Messi also took a while to register his first free-kick goal, though that was more to do with the quality of those already in the team when he made his breakthrough rather than a slight on his own ability. In true London bus fashion though, the arrival of the first sparked many more, bringing him up to his current total of 25.

In fact, he has become something of a specialist, scoring six this season, a figure unmatched by any other player.

Despite having bagged 48 times from the penalty spot, Messi has also infamously fluffed his lines on a few occasions, leading some to trust more in the Argentine when standing over a free-kick than a spot-kick.

Messi enjoyed his best season in front of goal in 2011/12 when he racked up 50 in all competitions, whilst he has only scored less than 30 in a season twice (2008/09 and 2015/16) when he has featured in 30 games or more.

There are few challenges left for the Barcelona star, but an overhead kick goal continues to evade him.  

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