5 best long-range midfield shooters in football

#3 Philippe Coutinho - Brazil/Aston Villa

Enter caption Brazil v Paraguay - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifier

During his five-year stay at Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho established himself as one of the most exciting goalscoring midfielders.

He drifted into dangerous positions, exploiting little pockets of space, and dispatched devastating long-range efforts. He scored 54 goals for the Reds, many of which came from a long way out.

Since his move to Barcelona in 2018, his performances have taken a tangible dip, with the midfielder rarely producing moments of magic anymore.

However, since joining Aston Villa on loan in the January transfer window, he has started playing with more confidence. His newfound rhythm has already helped Villa with a couple of goals and assists, which, in turn, earned him a call-up to the Brazilian national team once again.

In the first week of February, Coutinho took part in Brazil’s World Cup qualifying clash against Paraguay. The five-time World Cup winners registered a 4-0 win with the Aston Villa man scoring a scorching long-ranger in the second half.

---

#2 Luka Modric - Croatia/Real Madrid

Enter caption Real Madrid v FC Internazionale: Group D - UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid central midfielder Luka Modric is one of the best players in La Liga. Even at 36, the Croatian effortlessly glides past players, relentlessly chases every ball, and rarely takes a day off.

Without him, Los Blancos often look clueless in the middle of the park, as the Croat is the one who makes them tick.

But unlike most central midfielders, Modric is not just about dictating tempo or contributing to attacking build-ups. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder also loves to take matters into his own hands and shoot from distance whenever he gets the chance.

Although it’s difficult to pick a favorite, the long-range pile-driver he produced against Turkey at Euro 2016 is arguably the best goal he’s ever scored.

From 30 yards out, Modric dispatched an unstoppable volley and found the bottom-right corner of Turkey’s goal. His strike propelled his country to a 1-0 win over the Turks.

---

#1 Kevin De Bruyne - Belgium/Manchester City

Sporting CP v Manchester City: Round Of Sixteen Leg One - UEFA Champions League

When it comes to shooting from range with power and precision, there’s hardly anyone better than Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgian midfielder loves to shoot whenever an opportunity presents itself in the final third and tends to work the keeper more often than not.

More impressively, he can strike with either foot, making him a genuine nightmare to defend against.

The Belgium international has scored quite a few scorchers in his career, the latest of which came in a 1-0 win over Chelsea in January.

25 minutes into the second half, De Bruyne picked up the ball in the middle, rode N’Golo Kante’s challenge, and dispatched an unstoppable long-range effort.

Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga tried his best to keep it out, but couldn’t stop the ball from slotting into his bottom-left corner.o his bottom-left corner.