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#3 Neymar
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was an excellent set-piece taker during his time at Barcelona. Thanks to the genius of Lionel Messi, he did not always get the opportunity. But whenever he did, he tried to make the most of it.
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His dizzying footwork drew countless challenges during his Barcelona spell, which, more often than not, led to free-kicks in favorable positions and even penalties.
Between 2013 and 2017, Neymar scored 12 penalties and five free-kicks. His final Barcelona penalty and free-kick came in the same game in 2017 - the famous 6-1 win over PSG in the Champions League Round of 16.
#2 Ronaldinho
When FC Barcelona signed Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003, the club were in desperate need of joy and silverware. The Brazilian showstopper brought both to the club, emerging as one of the best players in the history of the club.
Ronaldinho was one of the very few footballers who could leave an imprint without getting on the scoresheet. He pulled defenders towards him and left them in the dust, awestruck, with his unmatched footballing wizardry.
He was the golden boy who could do it all, and seeing him on this list should hardly come as a surprise.
Between 2003 and 2008, Ronaldinho was Barcelona’s primary penalty kick dispatcher. His unusual run-up fooled most goalkeepers, leaving them rooted to the spot as he wheeled away in celebration.
He scored 29 penalties for Barcelona, eight of which were match-winning goals. He also scored 20 direct free-kicks for the Camp Nou outfit.
#1 Lionel Messi
The most prolific player to don the colors of FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi also happens to be the best set-piece taker in the club’s history. The Argentine rose through the ranks of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy to eventually wear the captain’s armband.
His majestic right foot helped Barcelona to 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and seven Copa del Reys, amongst other honors.
Following Ronaldinho’s departure in 2008, Messi gradually ascended as Barcelona’s first-choice free-kick and penalty taker. At first, Messi was hardly the best free-kick taker in the team, with his La Masia senior Xavi being the undisputed choice.
However, later down the road, Messi improved upon his free-kicks and unsurprisingly emerged as one of the best in the world.
Messi was also Barcelona’s primary penalty taker for the last decade. He did miss a few along the way, but overall, he was a pretty dependable penalty kick taker.
Messi dispatched 82 penalties and scored a whopping 50 free-kicks in 778 matches for Barcelona.
