Top 10 free-kick takers in Premier League history

Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry have all scored some amazing free-kicks
Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry have all scored some amazing free-kicks

#3 Laurent Robert (11 free-kicks)

Newcastle United v Norwich City
Newcastle United v Norwich City

Laurent Robert scored a total of 22 goals at Newcastle United and half of them - 11 - came from free-kicks. Let that sink in!

The French winger wasn’t always the best attacker on the field but from dead ball situations, he was a completely different player. Right flank, left flank, near post, far post; no situation was beyond Robert to convert a free-kick.

Robert scored 11 free-kicks at an average of 13.6 games per free-kick goals, a tally bettered by no other player in the Premier League history.


#2 Gianfranco Zola (12 free-kicks)

Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola

Gianfranco Zola was fondly called the ‘Magic Box’ by Chelsea supporters due to his creativity and skills, and when it came to free-kicks, he was a magician in every sense.

Chelsea have seen many free-kick specialists over the years but no one comes close to Zola. During his time at Chelsea, the Italian scored 12 free-kicks, joint-second best in Premier League history.

And where did he learn the tricks of the trade, you ask? At Napoli, during his time with none other than a certain free-kick legend Diego Maradona.


#1 David Beckham (18 free-kick goals)

Bend it like Beckham!
Bend it like Beckham!

You say David Beckham, I hear free-kicks!

There are no surprises here. Beckham is the best taker the Premier League has ever seen. With 18 goals scored from free-kicks, the ex-Man United is leaps and bounds ahead of the second-placed Zola and Henry.

Becks had a certain aura around his technique; he generated a curl on the ball to take it away from the goalkeeper and it wasn’t a fluke. He worked on his free-kicks for hours after training by using a tire in the corners of the and it certainly paid off.

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