Barcelona free-kick stats in 2021/22 makes one thing clear

Given the Blaugrana’s previous prominence from direct free-kicks, this is a startling number.

In that aspect, it’s apparent that Barcelona has greatly missed Lionel Messi. During his time at Barcelona, Leo was a player who scored more goals from free kicks than penalties.

In fact, the last time Barcelona scored a free-kick was on May 2, 2021, when Messi scored against Valencia.

Memphis Depay, Ferran Torres, and Ousmane Dembele have all attempted and failed to score from the Blaugrana’s over 15 free-kicks.

The question remains: who will succeed Messi as the best player in the world?