Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Lionel Messi both excel at converting free throws into victories in the 100-meter dash. Fact. Or maybe it’s because I’m good at eating absurd amounts of bread. But it’s a good thing this is not about me.

The opposing team’s bench is constantly squirming whenever Messi walks over to take a direct free kick at the edge of the box. There is a significant likelihood that they will always find the back of the goal because of how well he strikes them.

His most recent victim, FC Dallas Head Coach Nico Estévez, claims that Messi’s set pieces are so brilliant that taking a free kick from him is almost as likely to result in a goal as taking a penalty from any other player.

There are a few that immediately come to mind when discussing some of the best free kicks the Argentine has ever scored in his career. Possibly his best goal was the one he bent against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League semifinal.

How did Messi perform against FC Dallas?

But what cunning does the seven-time winner of the Ballon d’Or employ? Although the former Barcelona player’s dead ball skills are unmatched, a recent video raises the possibility that he occasionally employs shady methods.

Messi was spotted shifting the ball to achieve a great angle to where the goal and the wall were in the free kick he scored against FC Dallas to draw the game. The 36-year-old was seen shifting the ball a few meters to the left while the referee was occupied giving instructions to other players, which made for amusing viewing.

He made further adjustments to the ball’s location until he was happy with the outcome. Once the final whistle blew, only one thing could happen: another Messi free-kick goal.

Messi’s “calculations” allowed Inter Miami to force a penalty shootout, which they ultimately won to go to the quarterfinals.