Messi, winner of the 2023 Golden Ball, ended the year without scoring a goal from a penalty kick, something that has not happened since 2006. The captain of world champions Argentina scored 28 goals and had 12 assists for the national team, PSG and Inter Miami.

The last time Messi scored from the 11-meter mark was on December 18, 2022 in the final against France at the World Cup in Qatar. In the 23rd minute, he opened the scoring with an angled shot and then scored the second goal in extra time.

Returning to PSG, Messi scored 9 goals, including 1 from a direct free kick, helping the home team win 4-3 against Lille. Messi won another title in Ligue 1 but could not assert himself in the Champions League.

Messi did not renew his contract with PSG and decided to move to Inter Miami, where he debuted with a wonderful free-kick goal against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup, a tournament that the Florida team later won. enemy.

With Inter Miami, Messi played 14 matches, scoring 11 goals, 8 goals from live ball situations, 2 goals from direct free kicks and 1 rebound. Meanwhile, for the Argentina team, in 2023, he scored 8 goals, including 2 from direct free kicks.

The last time Messi ended a calendar year without scoring a goal from a penalty kick was in 2006, when he first became a professional player for Barcelona. At that time, La Pulga had 10 goals and none from the penalty spot. At just 19 years old, Leo is already one of Barcelona’s main characters.