Messi surpasses Zico; now only one player is ahead of him in free-kicks.

Lionel Messi has reached another milestone in his free-kick scoring prowess. By scoring from a free-kick against San Diego in Major League Soccer (MLS), the Argentine star has surpassed the legendary Brazilian player, Zico.

Messi now has 75 free-kick goals in his professional career. He had previously equaled Zico's record of 74 goals by scoring against Montreal on August 29; now, with this latest goal, he has moved ahead of the Brazilian legend.

Marcelinho Carioca is next

Only Brazil's Marcelinho Carioca now stands ahead of Messi on the list of all-time free-kick goalscorers. Known as "Angel's Foot," the former star scored 78 free-kick goals during his professional career.

This means Messi needs three more goals to equal Carioca's record and four more to surpass him and become the all-time leading free-kick goalscorer.

Breakdown of Messi's 75 goals

Of Messi's 75 free-kick goals, 63 came in club football, while 12 were scored for Argentina.

His 63 club goals include 49 in league matches, 5 in the Champions League, and 9 in other cup competitions. Across a career spanning 1,176 matches, Messi has averaged one free-kick goal every 15.7 games.

Brazilian dominance in the top five

The dominance of Brazilian and Argentine stars is evident in the list of top free-kick goalscorers. The top five are:

1. Marcelinho Carioca — 78 goals
2. Lionel Messi — 75 goals
3. Zico — 74 goals
4. Roberto Dinamite — 73 goals
5. Juninho Pernambucano — 72 goals

Messi is the only Argentine on this list; the other four are Brazilian footballers.

A new milestone now awaits Messi—scoring just four more free-kick goals will see him overtake Carioca and become the greatest free-kick goalscorer in history.