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Video: Top 5 free-kicks of 2016

Mohd Faiz Subri won the Puskas award for a free kick he scored for Penang

Bicycle kicks are sensational, backheel flicks are audacious and scorpion kicks are phenomenal. But none of them match the sheer beauty of beating the goalkeeper with a dead-ball, sweetly curled or thumped through a literal wall of players. The flavour is accentuated when the keeper is left rooted to his/her spot; oh how the heart breaks!

If football was to be compared to war, the dead ball would be the deadliest weapon in any team’s arsenal. A player gets fouled, it’s not a penalty and the crowd waits with bated breath. To curl or to dip (or both), that is the question.

The Puskas Award 2016 is a clear testament to the fact that the world recognizes the speciality of free-kicks. Here, we look at the top 5 dead-ball beauties that have brought much joy and wonder from all sides of the world.


#5 Dimitri Payet, France vs. Russia, 30th March 2016

(Video Courtesy: International Football YouTube Channel)

There is a reason why Dimitri Payet is hailed as one of the best free-kick takers in the world right now and also why he features 2 times in this article. The score read 2-1 in the 64th minute when Payet stepped up and let loose a 30-yard screamer into the top right corner. 

He would go on to finish the match with also an assist to his name in the 4-2 win over Russia. A perfect birthday gift for a terrific player, who had just celebrated his birthday only two days prior to the match. 

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