There is something potent about scoring from a direct freekick. The defense knows the freekick taker will have a shot at goal, the goalkeeper knows the freekick taker will have a shot at goal, and despite this, the shooter scores.
As a player, being able to execute this is really, really special. It’s like conveying to the opposition, ‘you knew what I was going to do, and yet you could not stop me’
This is a sick power move and it can way the opposition down physiologically.
And also, a freekick is really a cool way of scoring a goal! It does not happen a lot of times but when it happens, it can get the spectators out of their seats!
We’ve seen James Ward-Prowse, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Harry Wilson score some incredible bangers recently, but their exploits pale in contrast to the antics of some of the true masters of freekick takers.
And surprisingly Messi and Ronaldo do not make the list! Messi overtook Ronaldo in the freekick department and he now has scored 58 goals from the dead ball situation. While Ronaldo has found the net on 56 occasions.
Despite having scored over 50 goals, both of the game’s icons are not even in the top ten list of all-time freekick goal scorers. Although they have a few more years in their career, it remains to see if they can add more to their freekick tally!
Anyway, let’s put our focus on players who overhaul Messi and Ronaldo at least in this department, as we look at the top 5 freekick goal scorers of all time!
David Beckham – 65
David Beckham was one of the few Englishmen who mastered the free-kick scoring technique.
Beckham’s free-kick ability compensated for his lack of speed on the pitch. Throughout his stellar career, he has scored some famous free kicks. The former Manchester United and England icon wasn’t a prolific scorer, but he was an expert at dead-ball situations.
Ronaldinho – 66
The Brazilian magician was dazzling from any aspect. Ronaldinho had everything. As a result, having the ability to net the ball from a distance was also in his arsenal.
In his career, Ronaldinho recorded 66 goals from set-pieces.
Victor Legrotaglie – 66
Despite being one of the least-known players on our list, Victor Legrotaglie is one of the best free-kick takers in the game. He has scored more free-kicks than some of his better famous colleagues, such Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
The former Argentina international played his entire career in his home country. Despite receiving offers from Juventus, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, he chose to stay put.
Pele – 70
Pele, the football superstar, has scored 70 goals from set-pieces. Pele has the ability to bend the ball in both directions with great force. Furthermore, his vast game knowledge allowed him to out-think the goalkeeper, allowing him to score more frequently than not.
Pele’s free-kick deliveries were typically a combination of great technique and velocity, with little to no swerve. Goalkeepers were frequently left guessing which way the ball would go.
Juninho – 77
Juninho mastered the ‘knuckleball technique’ and scored from dead balls with unfailing accuracy.
It was simply not an option for defensive teams to give away fouls within Juninho’s range since he would mercilessly whack it into the back of the net more frequently than not.
Former Olympique Lyonnais icon and midfielder scored 77 goals from set-pieces. Juninho is widely regarded as the best free-kick taker of all
time, and he was also the inventor of the knuckle-ball shooting technique.
