The 15 Footballers with the Most Free-Kick Goals Ever

Whether it’s striking them with power, or bending one into the top corner with an incredible amount of curve, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham have been the scorer of some unbelievable free-kicks. But, despite their talents, they are not in the top three for the most scored by a player in history. This article now details the greatest free-kick scorers of all time.

15 Andreal Pirlo – 46

The magician had more than one trick up his sleeve. Considered one of the most elegant players of all time, Andrea Pirlo was also one of the best free-kick takers. With 46 goals to his name, the maestro, who also played for AC Milan and Juventus, was blessed with an uncanny technical ability that allowed him to tell the ball exactly what to do.

Like his Brazilian counterpart Juninho, from whom he drew his inspiration, the Italian used only three toes to strike the ball, giving it an unpredictable trajectory – a technique that clearly paid off.

14 Michel Platini – 50

Considered by many to be the greatest French player in history, Michel Platini’s reputation has stood the test of time. From his early days at Nancy to Juventus and Saint-Etienne, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner dazzled on every pitch he has played on.

Capable of inventing a thousand and one moves to get the better of his opponents, the playmaker also showed himself to be very adept at taking free-kicks. Aided by an almost insolent ease with both feet, he scored no fewer than 50 in the course of his illustrious career. A real nightmare for opposing goalkeepers.

13 Alessandro Del Piero – 52

Alessandro Del Piero is undoubtedly one of the finest players ever to grace a Serie A pitch. A true legend of Italian football and of Juventus, where he played between 1993 and 2012, il Pinturicchio had a technical range well above the average. These attributes enabled him to score no fewer than 52 free-kicks during his glorious career.

Capable of setting up the opposing goalkeeper from any position, the 2006 world champion was a lethal weapon for his various teams. He was also the all-time leading free-kick scorer in the history of the Champions League (11 goals), before Cristiano Ronaldo dethroned him in 2016.

12 Rogerio Ceni – 59

Making his way onto the list, quite incredibly, is a goalkeeper: Rogerio Ceni. The Brazilian was a set-piece master who took both penalties and free-kicks. He hit the back of the net 131 times during his 22-year spell with Sao Paulo. Ceni, who failed to score in his 17 appearances for Brazil, has spoken about the art of taking free-kicks.

“It’s not even football. It’s striking a ball. It’s two things: physics, because you have to hit the ball properly, and psychology, because you have to know where to put it. And you have to remain calm. But many more people could do it, if only, like me, they had the courage [to try].”

It’s a testament to Ceni’s incredible set-piece prowess that his club side Sao Paulo felt confident enough in him stepping up to take them, knowing full well they wouldn’t have a goalkeeper to stay back and protect what would be an empty net on a counter-attack.

11 Marcelinho Carioca – 59

Marcelinho spent most of his career in Brazil, He racked up an incredible tally of free-kick goals while turning out for the likes of Flamengo, Corinthians, Santos and Vasco de Gama. Speaking about the art of free-kicks to Globoesporte, he said: “The key is getting it on target and letting the ‘keeper deal with it. Repetition leads to perfection.”

His best time came at Corinthians, where he is rightly regarded as a legendary figure, having alongside Cassio Ramos, won the most trophies for the club, including the very first edition of the FIFA Club World Cup back in 2000. He played well over 400 times for the club across two separate spells, and bagged over 200 goals to boot too.

10 Ronald Koeman – 60

Koeman’s tally is extremely impressive given he was largely a defensive-minded player. He scored 239 career goals, meaning just over a quarter were from free kicks. His most famous free-kick goal came in the 1992 European Cup final between Barcelona and Sampdoria. The Dutchman’s fierce effort in the 112th minute proved to be the difference and ensured Barca were crowned champions of Europe for the first time.

The former Everton manager’s ability to strike a ball with power already made him a lethal threat from long distance, capable of breaking the net with a rasping drive far away from goal. That quality to shoot from distance meant many free-kicks that other players may have opted to lump the ball into the box to, Koeman would decide to take aim from.

9 Zico – 62

Zico enjoyed an outstanding career. He is the fifth top goal scorer in Brazil’s history, having hit the back of the net 48 times for his country. Zico’s technique was simple – he would take a short run-up and often attempt to curl the ball over the wall and into the goal. Speaking about the kind of adrenaline rush he would get before taking a free-kick, he said: “It’s magic, because at that moment everybody is watching and waiting for you.

One of the greatest footballers of all-time, the Brazilian was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players back in 2004, and was named the Men’s World Player of the Year back in 1981 and 1983. Creative as he was prolific, Zico enjoyed his greatest time in his native Brazil both with Flamengo and with his country.

8 Diego Maradona – 62

Maradona could do almost everything with a football. He was a free-kick specialist among many other things. Fernando Signorini, Argentina’s fitness coach at the 2010 World Cup, revealed how Maradona helped Messi become the free-kick specialist he is today.

“In February 2009, just a few months after Maradona took over as coach of the national team, we played a friendly against a local team in Marseille,” Signorini wrote in his biography, Call to Rebellion, per the Daily Mail. “We practised the day before and, after the session, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez and Messi stayed behind for shooting practice.

“Messi put the ball down and looked up at the goal slightly to his left. When he struck the ball it went some way over the bar to the goalkeeper’s right. He was annoyed and headed towards the dressing room passing me as he went. I said, ‘Are you going to go and shower after that rubbish? Stop getting annoyed, go and get a ball and try again’.”

Signorini says Maradona overheard the conversation, put his arm around Messi’s shoulder and gave his some advice. “Don’t hurry the shot so much, slow your swing down, because if not the ball does not know what you want it to do,” Maradona is said to have told him.

7 Cristiano Ronaldo – 64

Ronaldo scored an extraordinary amount of free-kicks using his knuckle ball technique towards the start of his career. His prowess from free-kicks has dwindled as he has got older but he managed to net three times from those situations in 2023. He scored twice in the space of five days in March, whacking one in for Al Nassr in their Saudi Pro League match against Abha before scoring another in Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifying match against Liechtenstein. He notched his third free-kick of the year in Al-Nassr’s match against Damac.

He also scored two free-kicks in April 2024, during Al-Nassr’s 8-0 win against Abha Coincidentally, the Real Madrid legend also went on to complete yet another hat-trick in that game. His most recent came in August 2024, rolling back the years with a cheeky effort vs Al-Fahya. As of August 2024, per messivsronaldo.app, Ronaldo has scored a free-kick every 19.3 games during his career. He is one of just two active players on the list. Now 39, he could move into the top five before he hangs up his boots.

6 Lionel Messi – 65

Messi has made free-kicks look like penalties since he made his debut for Barcelona all the way back in 2003. The Argentine scored 50 free-kicks for the Catalan giants, which is just astonishing.

Per messivsronaldo.app, he scores a free kick every 16.2 games, which is a very impressive tally. Now 36 years old, he continues to make set-pieces look easy despite coming to the end of his legendary career. Messi surely has a few years left at the top level but it seems unlikely that he ends his career with the most free-kick goals ever.

5 David Beckham – 65

Beckham is the most prolific free-kick taker from Europe in football history. With 18, he currently holds the record for most free-kick goals in Premier League history, although James Ward-Prowse is closing in on his impressive tally.

Beckham’s most famous free-kick goal came for England against Greece in 2001. The Three Lions needed at least a draw to qualify for the 2002 World Cup but were trailing 2-1 in injury time. England were given a free-kick roughly 30 yards out with time rapidly running out. They needed a miracle and Beckham delivered as he stepped up and curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

4 Ronaldinho – 66

Arguably Ronaldinho’s most famous free-kick came for Brazil against England at the 2002 World Cup. Ronaldinho caught David Seaman – as well as everyone watching at home – off guard when he had a go from an acute angle. His effort looped over Seaman and into the top corner. But did he mean it?

Speaking about the free-kick, Ronaldinho told FIFA, per the Mirror: “When I hit the ball I wanted to shoot for goal – but maybe not exactly where the ball ended up. If I’m being totally honest, I was aiming for the other side of the net. You can’t say that [it was a fluke] because I was aware of the ‘keeper’s position and went for the shot at goal. The fact that it did not go in exactly as I planned is secondary to the fact that I was having a go.

“What basically happened is that I hit my shot too hard and, as it travelled through the air, it swerved more and ended up looping over Seaman. There was nothing he could do about it and I suppose there was an element of luck involved… but a goal is a goal!”

3 Victor Legrottaglie – 66

A midfielder by trade, Victor Legrottaglie spent his whole 21-year professional career in Argentina, mostly turning out for Gimnasia y Esgrima. According to Sportskeeda, Legrottaglie reportedly drew interest from Real Madrid, Inter Milan and New York Cosmos during his career, but the South American refused to move away from his homeland. While he never represented his country, to have scored more free-kicks than Maradona and Beckham, as well as the same amount as Ronaldinho, is some achievement.

2 Pele – 70

Pele’s goal tally from free-kicks is yet another reminder of just how good he was. The Brazilian legend, who spent 18 incredibly successful years at Santos before ending his career in the United States with a short spell at New York Cosmos, had the ability to strike the ball into the back of the net with power while he could also bend the ball both ways. Pele is arguably the greatest footballer ever but he isn’t the greatest free-kick taker, with his tally seven fewer than a certain Brazilian.

1 Juninho Pernambucano – 77

Juninho is the free-kick GOAT (greatest of all-time), and that will remain the case for a long while yet. He spoke about his prowess from free-kicks in an interview with FourFourTwo in 2018. He said: “I was always great at shooting, but as a child I didn’t have enough power to score free-kicks. I played futsal until I was 13 and didn’t really score much, but it was around then that I started to take some free-kicks. The wall was too close, though, so it was rare that I’d hit the goal. It wasn’t until I got to France that I mastered my technique.”

Despite his tally, Juninho doesn’t think he’s the greatest free-kick taker ever. He added: “It’s nice to hear admiration, although I don’t really believe it – how can you measure that? What I feel is that my work was worth it. I gave everything I had – sometimes even more than my body could take. There’s only ever the best free-kick-taker of the moment, so maybe there was a moment in which I was the best at it, but that’s all. How can I claim that I’m any better than David Beckham or Sinisa Mihajlovic?”