5 best free-kick takers in world football this season
Free-kick specialists are invaluable assets to their respective teams thanks to their unique and essential skill sets. Their ability to consistently find the back of the net directly from free-kicks is a testament to their precision and finesse.
These players possess an eye for goal and are capable of bending the ball over or around the wall and into the top or bottom corners of the net with astounding accuracy.
Their contributions often make the difference in tight matches, turning the tide in their team's favour with their ability to use crucial scoring opportunities from set-pieces.
In a sport where every goal matters, set-piece specialists are celebrated for their capacity to turn free-kicks into goals with remarkable consistency.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five best free-kick takers in world football this season.
#5 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)
Kieran Trippier's free-kick prowess has long been a matter of fascination among football aficionados. His dead-ball technique has a deceptive simplicity that belies its effectiveness.
With a calmness under pressure reminiscent of a matador facing a charging bull, Trippier has astounded fans time and again with his precise and often unstoppable strikes from free-kicks.
Trippier's set-piece delivery has been key to Newcastle United's exploits once again and he is undoubtedly one of the best free-kick takers around.
#4 Thiago Almada (Atlanta United)
Atlanta United's set-piece specialist Thiago Almada is one of the best in the business. His effectiveness from free-kicks is reflective of his precision and creativity on the pitch.
Almada's free-kicks often leave goalkeepers rooted to the spot as they struggle to anticipate the trajectory of the ball. Whether he is curling it over the wall or driving it low and hard, Almada's free-kicks often end up in the back of the net.
His mastery of this aspect of the game underscores his importance as a dead-ball specialist. Almada has scored from three direct free-kicks this season.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time. During his rise to the top of the game, Ronaldo made his free-kick ability a key weapon in his arsenal. However, as the years rolled by, his free-kick-taking powers seemed to have waned.
But Ronaldo has seemingly recaptured his mojo when it comes to the dead-ball in recent times. The Portuguese icon has been quite effective from free-kicks of late. In 2023, Ronaldo has found the back of the net three times from direct free-kicks for club and country.
#2 Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)
Alejandro Grimaldo's free-kicks are quite a sight to behold. He has a unique blend of power and finesse, which allows him to strike the ball with incredible accuracy. His consistency from free-kicks has proven to be a crucial weapon for his team.
Grimaldo's free-kick expertise sets him apart as one of the finest dead-ball specialists in the game right now. The 28-year-old has already scored from two direct free-kicks for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2023-24 season.
#1 Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Lionel Messi is the undisputed king of free-kicks in world football right now. The 36-year-old is arguably the greatest footballer of all time and has shown a knack for excelling at almost anything he puts his mind to.
Messi did not start out as a free-kick specialist. It is a skill he added to his repertoire later on in his career. However, once Messi got comfortable with free-kicks, there was no stopping him.
He injects the right amount of power and curve on the ball to deposit the ball into the back of the net far away from the reach of goalkeepers. Messi has scored two direct free-kicks this season for Inter Miami.