Footage shows Lionel Messi using clever tactic to gain free-kick advantage

Lionel Messi was spotted using a clever tactic to gain an advantage before taking a free-kick for Inter Miami.

Last month, Messi ended his illustrious career in European football by signing for MLS club Inter Miami.

Since scoring the winner on his debut against Cruz Azul, Messi has gone on to score six further goals for his new club.

On Monday, Messi scored a late free-kick to salvage a 4-4 draw against FC Dallas, before Inter Miami won the Leagues Cup tie on penalties.

After the match, footage of Messi sneakily gaining an advantage before his free-kick has gone viral. You can watch the footage below.

As shown in the video, the Argentine slowly and sneakily moved the ball a few feet to the left in order to have a better angle.

Inter Miami will now be up against Charlotte FC in the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup.

In a recent interview, Messi’s new Inter Miami and former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba said: “He feels supported, loved and that's the most important thing. At PSG he didn't have a good time, but he recovered his joy. I repeat, it's a challenge that personally excites him a lot and I see him very happy.

“Leo is a demanding person. He has won a World Cup. But he is going to continue [playing] the same. He is going to fight for this challenge, try to win everything and that's why we're here to help him.”

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Whilst former Argentine footballer, Jorge Valdano has said that Messi is shaking up football in the United States.

As per Spanish news outlet Marca, Valdano said: “He is indeed shaking up American football, what a player of that stature does is turn the heads of all football fans to the place where he is.

“If he also scores more than one goal per game and gives real displays, he leaves us all open-mouthed.”