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Tag: Lionel Messi's technique for free-kicks

Sports

The leaning tower of Messi: The bent right ankle, the curling left, the magical free-kick goal

It’s a ritual you might have watched a thousand times. The referee signals a free-kick, Lionel Messi wanders to the spot, taking his time, as though time would stop for him. He gathers the ball, flips it a few times in his palms, as though sending across a message, then puts the ball on the spot, twists it, almost drill it into the turf and takes four steps back, his eyes un-witheringly on the ball. He strolls to the ball, then stops beside the ball—unlike many free-kickers, he plants almost his entire left-boot on the ground. The right side of the body bends, as though he is falling over, before he uncoils that wondrous left-foot at the stationary ball. It can be easy to overlook just how brilliant he is at set pieces, given how marvellous he is at everything else on a football pitch. ...