"Maybe once or twice a year" - When Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's ex-teammate chose the best free-kick taker of all time

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's former teammate Miralem Pjanic was once asked to name the best free-kick taker in the world in his opinion.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international played with the Portugal icon for two seasons at Juventus before moving to Barcelona in 2020. There, he played one season alongside the Argentina icon before being loaned out to Besiktas and eventually being sold to Sharjah FC in 2022.

The Bosnian midfielder was asked who, according to him, was the best free-kick taker in the world. He told Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport in March last year (h/t Football-Italia):

"Messi. I’ve practised free-kicks twice a week for 20-30 minutes a day, for my entire life. Maybe he practices one or twice a year, and that’s how he takes them."

Pjanic was Juventus' designated free-kick taker until Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. The 32-year-old scored 21 goals from free kicks during his club career, where he played for FC Metz, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Roma, Juve and Besiktas before moving to the UAE.

Clearly, he was one of the best in the business when it came to scoring directly from a free-kick. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, scored the 62nd free-kick goal of his career when Argentina beat Panama 2-0 in a friendly earlier today (24 March).

Just a few hours before the game, Cristiano Ronaldo scored from a set-piece outside the box as well, when he netted against Liechtenstein in a 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifier win. The strike took his tally from direct free-kick goals to 60.

---

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo neck-and-neck in race for goals scored from direct free-kicks

Lionel Messi scored a wonderfully-placed free-kick up and over Panama's wall just one minute from time to make the scoreline 2-0 at El Monumental.

Thiago Almada opened the scoring 11 minutes before the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker's strike as Argentine fans witnessed their nation play as world champions for the first time. It was the 35-year-old's 62nd career free-kick goal.

No one in men's football has more. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, is not far behind with 60 to his name. The 38-year-old scored a powerfully-hit free-kick past Liechtenstein goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel in the 63rd minute to seal the 4-0 scoreline.

It was hit with venom towards Buchel's near post but the goalkeeper could not do anything about it as Ronaldo recorded a brace in Lisbon. It marked his 197th international appearance in men's football, which is now a world record.

Messi's goal, meanwhile, was the 800th of his career for club and country. He is the second player to reach the milestone, with the Al-Nassr centre-forward boasting 830 goals to his name.