Five best free-kick takers in the world at the moment

1) Cristiano Ronaldo

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.