10 Best Free Kick Takers in Football History

The taking of a free kick occurs after a foul is committed. Many of the free kicks are taken directly where the shot is directed towards and into the goal without touching any player. Scoring of such direct free kicks takes great skills. Some of the finest exponents of this art are not all exactly among the greatest players of all times, but their contribution to the beautiful game just cannot be ignored. Some of their exploits are part of football folklore. The following are the 10 best free kick takers of all time.

10. Ronaldinho

One of the most dazzling players of the current generation, this Brazilian is also a free kick master. One of his memorable set piece moments was his hat-trick for Barcelona against Udinese more than a decade ago when all the goals came from direct free kicks. Who can forget his 40-yard looping free kick over the goal-keeper’s head that knocked England out of the 2002 World Cup. Currently at the age of 35 the 2002 World Cup champion is playing for Mexican club Querétaro F.C. where 2 of the 8 goals he has scored for the side this season have come from free kicks. He deservedly finds his name in the list of top ten free kick takers where he is placed tenth.

9. Alessandro Del Piero

This Italian and Juventus great is truly a superb dead ball specialist. He found the net six times in a one season alone from just free kicks. Many consider him on par with Michel Platini in the Italian club circuit when it comes to set piece skills. He is ninth in the list of the top ten free kick takers.

8. Roberto Baggio

This underrated Italian is one of the greatest football players of all time. He is a set piece specialist and is famous for his curling free kicks. His free kicks goals for his club, Bologna, were incredible. He converted further goals from free kicks when he went onto play for Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus. He is ranked eighth in the list of top ten free kick takers.

7. David Beckham

He is England’s king of free kicks and few can bend it like him. There was no goal-keeper on earth that did not quiver at the prospect of facing a Beckham free kick. One of his finest moments was when he scored from a set piece in the dying minutes of a match against Greece. The goal helped England equalize 2-2 and qualify for the 2002 Japan World Cup. No list of top ten free kick takers is complete without him.

6. Gheorghe Hagi

Apart from his tremendous passing skills, dribbling and finishing skills, Hagi has a tremendously powerful left foot. This makes him a dangerous free kick taker. No wonder this diminutive player from Romania is called “The Maradona of the Carpathians” and was Player of the Year for his country on seven occasions.

5. Diego Maradona

One of the greatest players of his generation, Maradona was also an incredible free kick taker. His great body balance and skill allowed him to float and dip the ball towards rival goals before anyone could realize what happened. His dead ball capability was an important component of the complete game the 1986 World Cup champion played for his country Argentina and club Napoli. He is ranked fifth in the list of ten all time great free kick takers.

4. Michel Platini

Regarded as one of the best free kick specialists of all time, this French great became one of the top scorers not just for his country, but also for his Italian club, Juventus. His 68 goals for the club were peppered with goals from set pieces. One of his spectacular free-kicks against Netherlands in 1981 helped France win 2-0 and qualify for the 1982 World Cup.

3. Zico

Apart from being one of the Brazilian greats, Zico is a free kick specialist in his own right. He made a great impact with his set pieces for his Italian club, Udinese. Although the club did not perform well in the Serie A, Zico will be remembered for the amazing free kicks that made him the second highest scorer in the 1983-84 Italian season with 19 goals. His 48 goals from 71 appearances for his country make him the third-highest scorer for Brazil and many of those came from beautifully executed set-pieces. One of his great strengths was to strike the free kick from almost a standing start which speaks volumes of his power and control.

2. Sinisa Mihajlovic

Many may not have heard of this Serbian but during the 14 years he spent in Italy playing for clubs like Roma, Sampdoria and Lazio, his free kicks became part of Serie A folklore. He scored 28 goals in Italy from set pieces, a record matched only by Andrea Pirlo. The power, accuracy and swerve of this left-footer made his 25-meter free kicks look like penalties. In a hat-trick against Sampdoria all his three goals were amazingly from free kicks, which itself is a record of sorts. He is second in the list of all-time great free takers.

1. Juninho Pernambucano

Of the 75 goals this Brazilian midfielder scored for his French club, Lyon, an astonishing 44 were from free kicks. Four of them were from beyond a range of 40 meters, which included 2 from distances of 41 and 48 meters against Barcelona and OGC Nice respectively. Even after he returned to his old club Vasco Da Gama after a gap of 13 years in 2013, he got the second of his two goals from a 32-metre free kick. He was 38 then. He may not be a Pele or a Ronaldinho, but Juninho is next to none when it comes to free kicks.