“With Barcelona only one goal ahead at 2–1, Messi calmly converts from the spot to give his team breathing room at 3–1 against Betis, adding another strike to his immense La Liga tally as career goal number 710.”
Messi comes off the bench at 1–1 to score a ruthless brace in just 45 minutes, including a no-look finish from a dummy and a penalty, turning a tense league game against Betis into a comfortable Barcelona win.
In a World Cup final seen as his last chance at the trophy, Messi breaks the deadlock against France with an ice-cold penalty under immense pressure, setting Argentina on their way and recording his 12th World Cup strike and 792nd career goal.
In a World Cup semi-final against Croatia with Argentina’s campaign on a knife-edge, Messi calmly whips his penalty into the top corner to break the deadlock and move to 11 World Cup goals and 791 in his career.
In a frantic El Clásico at 3–3, Messi calmly pauses on the spot, waits for López to commit, then rolls the late penalty back across him to complete his hat-trick and restore Barça’s lead, sealing La Liga goal number 236 and career strike 384 under maximum pressure.
Against the Netherlands in a World Cup quarter-final, Messi calmly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to make it 2–0 under immense pressure, a nerveless finish that also brings up his 10th World Cup goal.