Messi’s superb free-kick against Granada FC (which was followed early in the 2nd-half by Griezmann’s 2nd of the evening), as well as essentially sealing all 3 points for Barcelona, came as a significant one in the long-standing individual battle between the 33-year-old and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi’s set-piece strike versus Granada marked the 48th of his storied club career.
And, as since revealed by statisticians OptaJoe, this marks one more free-kick than Juventus hitman Ronaldo has managed to net over the course of his legendary career at club level:
48 – Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 has scored 48 direct free-kick goals for @FCBarcelona in all competitions (37 in @LaLiga), one more than Cristiano Ronaldo 🇵🇹 in his profesional club career (47, 32 in league). Stars. pic.twitter.com/sKujVwD6p6
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 9, 2021