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Disclaimer: The views put forth are that of the writer’s and not of Sportskeeda’s.
The player sets the ball on his desired spot with consummate care, displaying a form of attention bordering on reverence. He steps back to a point at a calculated distance away; always the same distance. The steps taken never change, for they are sacred in their own way. His eyes sweep over the wall of players blocking his way, and finally rest on the one man he is aiming to beat- the goalkeeper. After one last look, he puts his head down and begins his run up. In that microsecond when his foot finally connects with the ball, time is condensed into the area inside that contact. As the ball flies off of his foot, and with the inevitability of fate itself, it finds the back of the net, the crowd going crazy.
Who’s the player, you ask? He is every player who has been a free-kick specialist. And we take a look at the 5 best free-kick takers in football at the moment.
Before we get underway, I’d like to make the disclaimer that I’ve gone on current form and not on reputation alone. That is why Alessandro Del Piero, Ronaldinho and Juninho Pernambucano miss out from this list. I realise that Del Piero is still whacking them in from free-kicks, but the A-League isn’t exactly the biggest challenge, with all due respect. In Juninho’s case, he didn’t score at al while playing for the NY Red Bulls. Another one to miss out is Oleksandr Aliyev. Aliyev has found it harder to score, with the low point coming when he was farmed out on loan to Dnipro from Dynamo Kiev.
Oh, and I’m only mentioning some of the free-kicks that the players in the list have scored, so if you feel that I’ve missed out on any good ones, type them out in the comments section!
5) Luis Suarez
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: Luis Suarez of Liverpool kisses his new baby prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on October 5, 2013 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The 26-year old Luis Suarez is the first on our list. The controversy-courting striker possess talents that cannot be ignored, and one of those talents is his free-kick taking ability. I know I’ve written “current form” as the deciding factor, and the Liverpool talisman had been out of the domestic iteration of the game for quite some time, owing to his ban carried over from last season but, when he has played, he has looked spectacular- as was the case for Uruguay against Spain in the Confederations Cup. He scored a screamer of a free kick against the reigning World Champions, and the technique and precision in his strike left Iker Casillas a mere spectator. Liverpool fans will not be soon in forgetting his twin strikes against Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Europa League. Suarez netted with two stunning free-kicks on either side of Zenit ‘keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, who was hapless in his effort to keep Suarez out. His free-kick against Man City at Anfield was another gem, as was his beautifully taken goal against Wigan.
4) Andrea Pirlo
TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 06: Andrea Pirlo of Juventus FC celebrates his goal with Arturo Vidal (R) during the Serie A match between Juventus and AC Milan at Juventus Arena on October 6, 2013 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Class fits into its own bracket, and if class ever took anthropomorphic form, that form is definitely that of the Italian master Andrea Pirlo. The Architect has given us some wondrous goals over the years, and doesn’t fail to deliver even after passing his 34th birthday. If AC Milan were not already ruing their decision to let Pirlo leave the San Siro after his contract expired, they will have after he scored an exquisitely taken free kick against the Milanese at the Turin Municipal Stadium on Monday. Who can forget his wonder strike against Mexico in the Confederations Cup, when he perfectly bent a beautiful strike over the Mexico wall and past ‘keeper José de Jesús Corona. Not to forget his masterfully taken goal versus Atlanta in Juve’s 2-0 victory at the Turin Municipal Stadium. He isn’t short of cheekiness either, as he has rolled the ball along the ground on more than one occasion, right under the jumping wall and past bemused keepers.
3) Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale
There will be more than just one pair of raised eyebrows on seeing Gareth Bale third on this list, given the absolute screamers he consistently sent into the back of the net last season. But a combination of factors see him drop down to third in the list this season. The first reason is the limited opportunities he has had this season, through both injury and the options Carlo Ancelotti has in the wide areas; the second is the form of the man who is now occupying the second spot- but more on that later. Even though some might argue that Bale doesn’t deserve to be on this list at all since I’m only considering current form, but given his escapades from last season, Bale does deserve his position.
The seemingly solitary talking point from Tottenham Hotspurs’ win over Olympique Lyonnais in the Europa League match at White Hart Lane was the pair of superb strikes by Gareth Bale- both from free kicks. His strike in the 3rd minute of injury time after the full 90 minutes had been played sent the rafters soaring at The Synagogue. His strikes followed the free kick he dispatched against Newcastle United to open his scoring. Another piledriver from the left foot of the Welshman came in the match versus Slovakia, in which he scored an absolute peach of a goal from 30 yards out. And one for posterity’s sake- the goal Bale scored as a youngster playing for Southampton against Derby County; maybe it was a sign for the things to come.
2) Wayne Rooney
After a summer of doubt and uncomfortable silence from the Rooney camp over his future at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney has come out of the blocks running, chomping at the bit. He has already scored thrice from free kicks this season, and the United fans are posting photographs of the England talisman with the accompanying text, “Need a free-kick, call me maybe!”. His strikes against West Brom and Manchester City came in losing causes, but the goal versus Crystal Palace sealed a comfortable victory for United over the Eagles. His strike against Fenerbahçe SK in the Champions League that got him his first senior hat-trick in his debut match for Manchester United is something that the world will remember for a long time. Those who watched the pulsating match between Hanover 96 and Manchester United will remember Rooney’s beautifully taken free kick. Incidentally, United won the match 4-3, and Rooney was a standout performer. Rooney also scored a brace of free kicks in the 8-2 demolition of Arsenal, showing impeccable technique and poise.
Well, no surprises here. I could literally leave this part with just the title and an accompanying picture and hardly any would question the logic in that. Ronaldo has consistently been one of the top free kick takers in recent times, scoring some truly wonderful goals. His strike against Portsmouth is considered one of the best free kicks scored in the Premier League era, and who can forget the goal he scored against Arsenal in the Champions League in 2009? True, Almunia ought to have done better, but the sheer audacity of the attempt coupled with the technique employed by the superstar helped too.
He has scored no matter what jersey he was wearing, with free kicks converted for Portugal, Manchester United and Real Madrid. His goals versus Real Sociedad and Zaragoza were beautifully struck examples of his talent.
Apart from the spectacular nature of the goals, Ronaldo’s free kick taking run up is one of the most famous ones. His characteristic “gunslinger” pose to start off, and the angle at which he bends his body forward while striking the ball are as famous as his goals. His technique too, is rare. Ronaldo’s free kicks possess more “dip” than the traditional “curve” that most free kick specialists employ. The ball hardly shows any lateral spin and instead, has a lot of “topspin”, which makes the shot much more unpredictable for the opposing goalkeeper.
Love him or hate him, you just can’t ignore the man. Believe me, he makes sure of that.
