When a penalty is awarded there tends to be an 80% chance in your mind of a goal being scored, but with a free-kick the opportunity for success decreases. However, with these men at the helm you can usually be fairly confident of the ‘keeper being tested in one way or another.
Of course there are world-class free-kick takers to be found the world over, but the Premier League in particular has been home to several of the globe’s greatest dead ball specialists. That may sound like a bit of a cliché, but if you’ve ever seen these 13 fellas play then you’ll understand why we use that terminology.
David Beckham
Golden Balls or master of the free-kick? We’ll let you decide. Becks is a national treasure and alongside that, the hype surrounding his actual playing ability certainly wasn’t exaggerated. Image Source: Twitter
Sebastian Larsson
It’s almost a shame that Seb Larsson is only known for his phenomenal free-kick taking, because he was quite a solid all-round performer. That being said, the bloke certainly knew how to curl one into the top corner. Image Source: Twitter
Thierry Henry
There is quite literally nothing the Frenchman couldn’t do. Icon. Image Source: Twitter
Morten Gamst Pedersen
Blackburn’s talisman and the Norwegian that the Premier League didn’t deserve. Pedersen’s dead ball talents really do go under the radar. Image Source: Twitter
Gianfranco Zola
So what if he can’t rise like a salmon from a corner? What he can do is smash a ball into the back of the net with such velocity that the 'keeper won’t even know what hit him. Image Source: Twitter
Laurent Robert
Laurent Robert was much more than just a one-trick pony, although the trick in question was always fairly special. Image Source: Twitter
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sure he may not be the most prolific, but when CR7 slots a beautiful free-kick into the top corner it may be the most beautiful thing in football. Image Source: Twitter
Leighton Baines
Baines’ combination of crossing and actual shooting lifts him above many standard FK takers, and that kind of consistency is hard to find. Image Source: Twitter
Nolberto Solano
Is Nobby Solano the greatest Peruvian footballer known to man? We’ll let you decide. Image Source: Twitter
Christian Eriksen
The modern day master is indeed Christian Eriksen, and god only knows what Spurs would do without him. Image Source: Twitter
Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez is the ultimate Premier League villain – and his undeniable world-class ability is one of the big reasons why. Image Source: Twitter
Ian Harte
Ian Harte falls under the ‘criminally underrated’ category, with the Irishman’s free-kicks never failing to amaze. Image Source: Twitter
Dimitri Payet
Oh Dimitri, how we miss your flair. Image Source: Twitter
Whether it’s consistency or technique, there’s a rhyme and a reason behind everyone’s inclusion on this list. Free-kicks are an extremely different thing to master especially at the highest level, and the probability of actually finding the net shouldn’t be as high as it is with these guys.
Much like the Rory Delap throw-in or Matt Le Tissier penalty, it’s more of a formality that you’re going to have problems keeping the effort out.
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