'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Barcelona talisman, Lionel Messi’s recent goal-scoring prowess from free-kicks has once again sparked an old-age debate of whether he is the greatest free-kick taker of all time or not. If stats are anything to go with, he is far behind from being the best.
The Argentine has already scored as many as seven direct freekicks for the Catalan giants this term, which includes a wide range of collections. From a powerful curler at the near post to a cheeky Panenka, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored them all.
Despite having an excellent conversion record, Messi is still behind his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese has scored 53 goals from free kicks throughout his career while the Barcelona captain has scored 47 times for both Barcelona and Argentina.
However, the top two players of this generation have still some catch up to do in order to be recognized among the top ten freekick takers of all time.
Here is the list of top ten free-kick takers in the history of the game:
9. Marcelinho Carioca (59): The former Brazilian attacking midfielder was famous for his accuracy when it comes to taking free-kicks. He also scored 206 goals in 420 appearances for Brazilian side, Corinthians
9. Rogerio Ceni (59): Surprisingly, the 9th joint top scorer on the list is former São Paulo FC goalkeeper, Rogerio Ceni and it is still a wonder that a goalkeeper has scored such a huge amount of free kicks.
8. Ronald Koeman (60): The former Barcelona and Dutch legend was an expert in his days in converting the set-pieces.
Zico (62): The “White Pelé” of Brazil was known for his spot-kicks and it is no wonder that he is regarded as one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time.
6. Diego Maradona (62): Diego Maradona will almost make any list in terms of scoring goals or winning trophies.
5. David Beckham (65): The former Man Utd star was nothing less than a sensation from spot-kicks. It was his famous free-kick against Greece which saw England through to the 2002 World Cup finals.
3. Ronaldinho (66): Although Ronaldinho was known for his skills, flair and trickery but his ability to convert free-kicks was nothing inferior to anybody else.
3. Victor Legrottaglie (66): The former Argentina coach was as influential as anybody from spot-kicks during his playing days in Argentina.
2. Pelé (70): The man many consider as the greatest of all time, Pelé is sitting at the second spot in the list.
1. Juninho Pernambucano (77): When it comes to converting free-kicks, Juninho was undoubtedly the greatest of all time. The former Brazilian international was known for his pinpointed accuracy from the spot-kicks.
