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Which are some of the most beautiful sights in football? A player dribbling past a tight defence? A 'panenka' style penalty kick? A delicately chipped goal? A sumptous free kick bulging the opposition net?
Football fans know that scoring directly from free kicks is an art in itself. There have been some illustrious masters of this art in the not too distant past. Juninho, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho and David Beckham among a few others were all considered set-piece specialists.
Five active players with the most free-kick goals
Having someone with free-kick-scoring prowess in a team is always a significant advantage as one neatly executed effort into the back of the net can alter the course of a match.
From the current crop of players as well, these are a few who've scored free-kick goals aplenty during their careers. Let's have a look at five of them with the most free-kick goals than anybody else.
#5 Aleksandar Kolarov - 22 goals
Aleksandar Kolarov is one of the most prolific goal-scoring full-backs of modern times. The 34-year-old has scored about 35% of his career goals from free kicks, which is an impressive tally, especially for a defender.
The former Manchester City and AS Roma star is often called the Serbian Roberto Carlos because of his set-piece prowess, and his stats in this regard clearly have a few parallels with that of the Brazilian legend.
What makes him absolutely deadly from set-pieces is his ability to score free kicks from the least favourable angles and distances.
His stunner for Serbia against Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and for AS Roma in a pre-season game against Athletic Bilbao last year are but a few examples of his set-piece prowess.
#4 Hakan Calhanoglu - 26 goals
If you're someone who follows the Bundesliga keenly, then you may know about Hakan Calhanoglu's imperious ability from set-pieces, especially direct free kicks. Whenever he lines up to take one, the ball invariably bulges the opposition net. That's how proficient the Turkish international is from dead-ball situations.
Here's a mind-blowing stat to buttress this claim: 38% of his goals in German club football (he also played in the second tier with Karlsruher SC) have come from direct free kicks!
Also, who can forget his exploits in the 2014-15 season when he struck as many as nine free-kick goals for Bayer Leverkusen! Yes, nine in one season - let that sink in!
Unfortunately, Calhanoglu's set-piece prowess has declined precipitously after moving to AC Milan in 2017; he has since netted only three goals from direct free kicks.
#3 Miralem Pjanic - 26 goals
Despite netting an identical number of free kicks as Calhanoglu, the Bosnian international Miralem Pjanic is ranked higher in this list due to his superior record in recent times compared to the Turk.
He had to share set-piece responsibilities with Cristiano Ronaldo and Paolo Dybala at Juventus, but Pjanic boasts a better free-kick record in Bianconeri colours than both players.
Pjanic, who is now at Barcelona, may have to alternate free-kick duties with Lionel Messi, but given his stupendous conversion rate, he should endear himself to the Blaugrana faithful because of his set-piece prowess.
The 30-year-old has scored 22 free-kick goals in his club career, with another four coming for his national side. Interestingly, 68% of his career free-kick goals have come in the last five years, which makes him one of the best in the business right now.
#2 Lionel Messi - 53 goals
Lionel Messi wasn't a natural free-kick scorer. It's a skill he picked up later and has now perfected to the extent that no one can hold a candle to his dead-ball prowess.
The diminutive Argentine has been the best in scoring free kicks for a while now, not just for the staggering rate at which he dispatches them but also for the sheer quality of his strikes.
Remember that 35-yard stunner against Liverpool last year? Or that long-ranger against the USA in 2016, or even that crazy in-swinger against Real Madrid in 2012? We can go on and on and on, for there are so many more!
Of the 53 free-kick goals Lionel Messi has scored, a staggering 47 have come unsurprisingly for the Blaugrana while the rest have come in Argentinian colours.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - 57 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo's prowess at set-pieces has, unfortunately, declined over the years, but he still ranks atop this list largely due to his past exploits.
It is one of his rare attributes that hasn't aged well. His recent free-kick stats make for sorry reading. Yet the Portuguese star's legacy from dead-ball situations will shine bright in football history.
Famous for popularising the knuckleball, Ronaldo has scored some absolute belters in the past, including his recent strike against Sweden that brought up his 100th goal for the Seleccao.
Just look at his highlight reel below and get your mind blown away:
