# Top 15 Free-Kick Takers in Football History

> Whipped, dipped, knuckled or bent around the wall — the dead ball is football's purest test of technique. This lineup spans continents and generations, from the physics-defying specialists to the modern maestros. Who would you trust from 25 yards? Cast your vote!

*By YPB Team · Published July 22, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/top-15-free-kick-takers-in-football-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Juninho Pernambucano** — score 1000/1000
   The Lyon legend widely regarded as the greatest dead-ball striker of all time.
2. **Kevin De Bruyne** — score 952/1000
   Belgium's playmaker who added a reliable free-kick threat to his creative game.
3. **Gareth Bale** — score 835/1000
   Wales and Real Madrid star with a fierce dipping free-kick technique.
4. **Zico** — score 800/1000
   Brazil's playmaker of the 1980s, one of history's finest dead-ball artists.
5. **Hristo Stoichkov** — score 571/1000
   Bulgaria's fiery forward and Barcelona great with a lethal left-foot set-piece.
6. **Roberto Carlos** — score 467/1000
   Brazil's left-back whose banana free-kick against France defied physics.
7. **Cristiano Ronaldo** — score 467/1000
   Portugal's knuckleball pioneer with dozens of long-range free-kick goals.
8. **David Beckham** — score 467/1000
   England's crossing and free-kick icon famed for his curled set-pieces.
9. **Andrea Pirlo** — score 467/1000
   Italy's serene deep-lying maestro and a master of the knuckleball.
10. **Lionel Messi** — score 467/1000
   Argentina's genius who became one of the most prolific free-kick scorers ever.
11. **Rogerio Ceni** — score 467/1000
   The Sao Paulo goalkeeper who scored over 100 career goals, many from free-kicks.
12. **Sinisa Mihajlovic** — score 343/1000
   The Serbian defender who once scored a hat-trick of free-kicks in a single Serie A game.
13. **Ronaldinho** — score 190/1000
   Brazil's smiling magician who scored famous free-kicks for Barcelona and beyond.
14. **Diego Maradona** — score 190/1000
   Argentina's icon whose left foot could bend the ball into any corner.
15. **James Ward-Prowse** — score 190/1000
   The Southampton midfielder who chased Beckham's Premier League free-kick record.

Tags: football, players, free kicks