5 active players with the most free-kick goals (2022)

Scoring directly from a free-kick is no mean feat. It requires perfect technique and flawless execution. The ball ending up in the back of the net from a free-kick is one of the most satisfying sights to witness on a football pitch.

Over the years, we have seen plenty of free-kick specialists. Players like Juninho Pernambucano, Ronaldinho and David Beckham are some of the modern day greats who are famous for their ability to score from free-kicks.

Set-piece specialists can so often make the difference in games where everything is a little too cagey. A free-kick is hardly ever more than a half-chance and that's why specialist free-kick takers are widely adored in the world of football.

Without further ado, let's take a look at five active players with the most free-kick goals right now.

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#5 Neymar Jr. (Brazi/Paris Saint-Germain) - 19 free-kick goals

Japan v Brazil - International Friendly

Neymar Jr. is one of the most technically gifted players in the history of the beautiful game. He possesses exquisite technique and unreal vision and it is a joy to watch him go about his business on the football pitch.

Neymar excels at set-piece situations. He is one of the best penalty takers in the world and is almost a sure shot from 12 yards. The Brazil international is also a very good free-kick taker. He usually sidefoots his free-kicks but manages to infuse plenty of power into his shots.

Neymar has found the back of the net from direct free-kicks on 19 separate occasions for club and country in his career so far.

#4 Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia & Herzegovina/Sharjah FC) - 26 free-kick goals

Olot v FC Barcelona - Pre-Season Friendly

Miralem Pjanic was widely regarded as one of the best deep-lying playmakers of his generation during his time with Juventus. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international was adept in a technical sense and seemed to possess a great understanding of the game.

His set-piece ability was one of his main strengths. Pjanic is famous for producing accurate, bending free-kicks and depositing the ball in the top corner from set-pieces. Juninho, widely regarded as the greatest free-kick taker of all time, hailed Pjanic as the world's best free-kick taker in 2017.

He told L'Equipe:

"But Mire has incredible quality. He's maybe the best free-kick taker in the world today. No I'm sure of it -- he is the best.

"He's very efficient and above all consistent. That's the most difficult part.

"He has a lot of variation in his strikes. He's able to shoot in different ways depending on the distance.

#3 Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkey/Inter Milan) - 28 free-kick goals

FC Internazionale v Cagliari Calcio - Serie A

Hakan Calhanoglu has an incredible shooting range and has found the back of the net from a variety of positions. He has not been very effective in recent times from set-pieces but the Turkey international was extremely prolific a few years ago.

He has scored from 28 direct free-kicks. During his stay in Germany with clubs like Karlsruher FC, Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen, Calhanoglu first turned heads courtesy of his set-piece ability. During that period, 38% of his goals came from direct free-kicks.

The 28-year-old has burgeoned into one of the finest attacking midfielders in the game right now.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United) - 58 free-kick goals

Manchester United v West Ham United - Premier League

There was a time when Cristiano Ronaldo was widely regarded as the best free-kick taker in the business. He popularized the knuckleball technique whereby he infuses a great deal of swerve and dip on the ball by kicking it with his knuckles.

He used to be incredibly accurate but his free-kick powers have certainly waned in recent times. However, he did score a beautiful free-kick for Manchester United to complete a hat-trick and a win for his club against Norwich City last season.

#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain) - 59 free-kick goals

Paris Saint-Germain v Kawasaki Frontale - Preseason Friendly

Lionel Messi scored the 59th goal from a direct free-kick last night as Argentina beat Jamaica 3-0. Unlike other players on this list, Messi wasn't always known as a set-piece specialist. It is a skill that he added to his arsenal along the way.

But once Messi started taking free-kicks, as with most other things he does on the football pitch, he mastered it. He has become an expert at depositing the ball in the top bin from free-kicks.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has definitely worked his way into the list of football's all-time greats when it comes to taking free-kicks.