EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT LIONEL MESSI IS AN EXCEPTIONAL PLAYER, THE BEST ONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD. IN TOTAL, HE HAS SCORED 569 GOALS IN 360 MATCHES FOR BARCELONA IN ALL COMPETITIONS. 38 OUT OF THIS GOALS CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE FREE-KICKS, AN INCREDIBLE FEAT. HOWEVER, WHAT DO MESSI'S VICTIMS THINK OF HIM?

Marca quote the best shot-stoppers who have ever faced the legendary Argentine. They all agree that Messi's versatility, unpredictability, precision and self-confidence makes it almost impossible to prevent him from scoring.

Villarreal's Sergio Asenjo: "It's his versatility and the unpredictable nature of them which makes them so dangerous. He is so confident and he strikes the ball so naturally which makes things all the more complicated. He second guesses goalkeepers. That is the key; he mixes it up each time."

He continues: "It makes me laugh when they say that you shouldn't concede at your near post but people fail to realise that he is such a genius with the ball that it can easily happen. I spoke to Jordi Alba after he scored one against me and he told me that he scores even better ones on a regular basis and that they see it happen every day in training."

Sevilla's Sergio Rico: "He is perfect for taking direct freekicks because of his capability to get it up and over the wall with enough pace and power to leave the goalkeeper stranded. He is the best free kick taker in the business because he works on it daily and he is naturally talented."

Plenty of the goalkeepers assess Leo Messi's most recent incredible feat as he netted TWO direct free-kick goals in the Barcelona derby against Espanyol last week

Ex-Betis' Adrian: "He strikes the ball so hard and high that you struggle to reach it and it just hits your hand and goes in. For the first goal against Espanyol, Diego Lopez took a few steps but it was virtually impossible to get there. The second freekick was not quite as far in the corner, but if you only see the ball when it has beaten the wall, for us goalkeepers it is too late to react. He scored a similar goal against me."

He goes on: "You could take off one of your gloves and throw it at the ball to see if that would stop it because he puts his free kicks in places where most goalkeepers cannot even reach. The key is to get yourself in a position where you can see the ball. It's very difficult because there are players in the way and there is a lot going on so it is not always possible. The trajectory and speed with which his freekicks come flying at you means that it is very tough to keep them out."

Ex-Atletico and Sevilla, Esteban: "The most important thing to bear in mind is that he is the best in the world, and for a goalkeeper it is a huge challenge because of the amount of options he has at his disposal. He can go over or under the wall, so the first thing to do is to make sure the goalkeeper's post is well protected. But if he puts it in the top corner, the only thing we can do is applaud his efforts. There is just nothing you can do."

Alaves' Pacheco: "His aim is superb. He is also exceptionally good at mixing it up which makes our job very difficult. He's already put one past me both over and under the wall; the only thing left for him to do is to beat me at my near post. A good solution to prevent him from scoring with a low freekick is to get a player to lie on the ground.

He adds: "It is incredibly rare to see him take a poor free kick. The whole world knows it, there are videos to prove it and coaches warn you about it. However, it is still crazy to think that every set piece that he takes is potentially a goal scoring opportunity."

Ex-Deportivo and Mallorca, Dudu Aouate: "Messi has come on leaps and bounds given that set pieces didn't used to be his forte. You just never know where he is going to put it. His accuracy is unbelievable; he almost always hits the target. Facing any type of free kick against him is dangerous. If you look closely, it is obvious that the keeper doesn't know what to do. You have to be very aware of lots of things."

He finishes up: "When I put myself back in their shoes, I realise how difficult it is. He reminds me of Rafa Nadal, who, several years ago had problems with his serve. In order to improve it he spent two hours a day practising, and Messi has done exactly the same."
Read more here. http://newsblenda.com/post/football/he-is-such-a-genius-la-liga-goalkeepers-open-up-on-conceding-to-unpredictable-messi.html