Messi reveals secrets behind his excellent free-kick taking and Eto'o advice

In a recent interview, Lionel Messi revealed the secret behind his excellent free-kick taking and the influence Samuel Eto'o's advice had on his game.

“I always remember the day that Eto’o told me: ‘When you start scoring goals, you won’t stop.’ And then one day the lid opened, one went in and then everything started to go in. Because before that I was getting a lot of chances but I wasn’t taking them.” You're obviously eager to know what the secret to the free-kick precision is - well, Leo says "it's all about learning and training."

He said, "It’s true that I’ve been studying goalkeeping a bit more lately, and above all when taking free kicks I watch to see if the keeper moves, if he takes a step in either direction. It’s all about learning and training. I’ve been improving my free kicks with practice.”

Messi's focus when he steps onto the pitch is the game, and not goal-scoring, as he said “I am less focused on scoring goals and more concentrating on the game itself.” Nonetheless, the Argentine maestro takes pride in having been La Liga's pichichi (top scorer) severally. “To be the top scorer in this league, with everything that the Spanish league signifies, is special - For me it is one of the most beautiful records I have.”