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Football is not about carrying the ball from one end of the pitch to another in the hope of hitting the back of the net. It's about scoring in any conceivable way. Not all teams are capable of scoring frequently from open play. Set-pieces give those teams the opportunity to restore parity and the chance to live to fight for another day.
Set-pieces are a crucial aspect of football but not many can make the most of them. So today, we are presenting five players who have converted from free-kicks, penalties, and corners, time and again, to propel their team ahead. Here are the top five set-piece takers of the 21st century:
Special mention: Andrea Pirlo, Toni Kroos, Roberto Carlos
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo, who happens to be the leading goalscorer of this generation (796 goals), is the perfect specimen for a modern-day forward. The Manchester United number 7 is disciplined, determined, and rarely squanders the opportunity to keep the scoreboard ticking.
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The 36-year-old spent the majority of his career at Real Madrid, scoring crucial goals for Los Blancos and leading them to multiple trophies. He managed to win a few at Juventus as well and shattered some more records while he was in Turin.
He has now returned to his first big European club, Manchester United, and looks hungry for more accolades.
Ronaldo is also an excellent dead-ball converter and has scored a plethora of goals from free-kicks and penalties. His “knuckleball” free-kicks are a thing of beauty while his ice-cold penalties are as good as inevitable.
#4 Ronaldinho - Retired
Football is a celebration of the human race. It lets us feel and react. It makes us jump in joy and break down in despair. Ronaldinho was the perfect embodiment of the spirit the game carries. The Brazilian made us feel what the game was about.
The two-time FIFPro World Player of the Year won every major honor the game had to offer. But most importantly, he always did it with a smile on his face. Ronaldinho carried an enviable bag of tricks and was capable of turning any game around in the blink of an eye.
The 2002 World Cup winner’s goals from open play were a thing of beauty, but that is not all there was to his game.
Ronaldinho was an excellent free-kick taker and had the ability to convert from anywhere on the pitch. He had a fine blend of power and finesse in his free-kicks, which made them almost impossible for any keeper to stop.
The Brazilian was also an unreadable spot-kick taker, which made him the first-choice penalty taker at Barcelona.
#3 David Beckham - Retired
David Beckham used to be a man with many talents. The former midfielder not only had the ability to pull strings in the middle of the park, but he could also convert effortlessly from set-pieces.
Beckham was the perfect embodiment of a modern-day footballer and each of his clubs loved him for it.
Beckham had a knack for scoring audacious free-kicks, even from practically improbable angles and distances. Beckham’s free-kick against Greece in the World Cup qualifiers earned England a place in the 2002 showpiece event, making it one of football’s most memorable goals.
Overall, Beckham scored over 60 free-kick goals in his career, cementing his place as one of football’s best set-piece takers.
#2 Lionel Messi - PSG
Barcelona legend and Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi is widely considered to be the greatest player the world has ever seen. He is an exceptional reader of the game, can keep the game ticking with inch-perfect passes, and likes to score outrageous goals. To top it off, Messi is also an excellent set-piece taker.
Messi’s magical left foot allows him to swing the ball in from corners, which makes it difficult for the keeper to read. The Argentinian is also an adept penalty taker. Despite missing a few over the years, he remains a dependable choice for spot-kicks.
Finally, we have his free-kick ability. Messi is not too keen on shooting them from a long way out, but he is scary-accurate from close range. Funnily enough, Messi was not always a dependable set-piece taker.
He added this particular trait to his repertoire after 2012. In the 21st century, Messi has scored 50 free-kick goals for Barcelona and eight more for his country.
#1 Juninho Pernambucano - Retired
No discussion of the best set-piece takers is complete without paying homage to the great Juninho Pernambucano. The Brazilian and Lyon legend is considered to be the best free-kick taker in the history of football, possessing the ability to convert from anywhere.
When it came to free-kicks, Juninho rarely discriminated. The Brazilian was happy to shoot from close range and from distance, usually having the same devastating effect. In his early days, he used to curl the ball in from 20-25 yards out.
Later down the road, he developed the “Knuckleball” technique, which made him equally deadly from distance. Juninho scored 77 free-kick goals in his career, making him the man with the most free-kick goals in recorded history.
