Andrea Pirlo and the 20 Best Long-Range Shooters in Football

You all love Andrea Pirlo, right? If you don’t, then I’d suggest that you’re in the wrong place.

The Italian maestro has delighted fans for years with his consummate midfield play, his ability to read a game and, yes, his magnificent beard, but it is his shooting from long range that we are most interested in here.

Pirlo has been once of most accurate players from distance in recent memory, but who are some of the others playing right now?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo can do most things well, and shooting from long range is certainly one of them.

Packing a fierce punch in his right boot, Ronaldo regularly tests goalkeepers from over 30 yards and the results can be spectacular, such as this strike for Manchester United against Porto, which was the first winner of FIFA’s Puskas Award for the best goal of the year in 2009.

Fredy Guarin

Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin might not be ranked among the very top stars in world football, but the man who joined Inter Milan three years ago has to be seen as one of the most respected long-range shooters in the game.

This goal for previous club Porto against Maritimo showcases just what he can do and demonstrates why closing Guarin down has to be one of your top priorities whenever facing him.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ah, Zlatan Ibrahimovic—we were expecting you.

Everyone’s favourite super-confident Swede has repeatedly demonstrated his goalscoring prowess from long range, scoring goal after goal for several of Europe’s top clubs, including this Champions League strike for current side Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s clash at Anderlecht.

Yaya Toure

As a true modern-day midfield powerhouse, long-range shooting is part of Manchester City and Ivory Coast icon Yaya Toure’s vast array of attributes.

A key component in City’s Premier League title win last season, plenty of Toure’s 20 league strikes came from outside the penalty area, as did this crucial strike in his side’s Capital One Cup final victory over Sunderland at Wembley.

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid didn’t pay a world-record transfer fee for Gareth Bale in 2013 simply because he can run very fast. The Welshman is one of the best long-range shooters in the game in addition to his athleticism, his pace and his many other skills.

Deadly from free-kicks, Bale can also score spectacular goals from open play, such as this late winner for Wales in a match against Scotland in Cardiff.

Wesley Sneijder

Like Pirlo’s, Wesley Sneijder’s accurate efforts on goal have been a feature of the world game for a while now, and the Dutchman is still able to frequently roll back the years and show us that he’s still got it.

This goal against Mexico in a friendly last year was vintage Sneijder, and he’s still got plenty more to offer as his career enters its closing years.

Arjen Robben

One of the best wingers in the modern game, dynamic Dutchman Arjen Robben is one of the quickest players in world football, and when he combines that electric pace with his powerful shooting ability, you’ve got a player who is very hard to stop.

Witness the amount of similar goals Robben scores cutting in from the right flank onto his left foot, and witness the amount of defenders and goalkeepers who are unable to stop it.

Hulk

Sometimes his shooting can be fairly wayward, but when Brazil international Hulk connects with a ball and sends it on target, there is often very little opponents can do about it.

The Zenit Saint Petersburg man is one of the most powerful footballers around, and his long-range shooting is the envy of many.

Paul Pogba

The spearhead of the new generation of midfield powerhouses, Paul Pogba has showcased his flair for the spectacular plenty of times in both the black-and-white stripes of Juventus and the blue of France.

The former Manchester United man failed to make the grade at Old Trafford for whatever reason, and goals such as this brace against Udinese make you wonder just why that was.

Xabi Alonso

After coming through at Real Sociedad, taking his game to new heights at Liverpool and being a vital cog in the Real Madrid machine, Xabi Alonso’s talents can now be seen in Bundesliga with Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.

A cultured passer with outstanding technique, Alonso’s prowess from long range has also been celebrated by fans of the clubs he’s played for, with a reputation for the spectacular honed at Liverpool.

Steven Gerrard

Los Angeles eagerly awaits the arrival of Steven Gerrard, and the Liverpool captain and icon will leave behind a string of memories on Merseyside when he does head Stateside in the summer.

Still so deadly from long range, Gerrard has scored a multitude of spectacular strikes over his time in English football, with surely none more memorable than his last-gasp FA Cup final strike against West Ham United in Cardiff in 2006.

Toni Kroos

Having secured both a World Cup winners’ medal and a move to Real Madrid in 2014, Germany international Toni Kroos must be wondering what 2015 has in store for him.

The midfielder’s excellence means that it’ll probably be another good year for him, with shooting from range just another aspect to a game that—given his prowess with both feet—is pretty much technically perfect.

Robin van Persie

A true Premier League icon, Manchester United’s Robin van Persie might not be having the most vintage of seasons this time around, but there can be few who doubt the Dutchman’s overall quality and striking prowess.

With a hammer of a left foot and the ability to sweetly time a strike, Van Persie’s long-range shooting isn’t a facet of his game that is often discussed, but it is certainly an impressive one.

Marco Reus

One of the most highly prized wingers in world football, Marco Reus recently signed a contract extension with Borussia Dortmund.

Moments such as this stunning goal against Galatasaray indicate just why BVB fans were so happy to see that deal done and underline why the German is more than just an out-and-out winger.

Wayne Rooney

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney hasn’t been stationed close enough to goal for the liking of many United supporters during this campaign, but he’s often proved he doesn’t need to be that close to score.

Goals such as his remarkable effort in a game at West Ham last season stick out, while this strike at home to Newcastle United in his first season with the club gave the club's supporters a hint of what was to come.

Miralem Pjanic

Bosnian Miralem Pjanic is one of the classiest operators in Serie A and can, on his day, dictate the way that an exciting Roma team play under manager Rudi Garcia.

Long-range shooting is one of Pjanic’s specialities, as he demonstrated with this fine free-kick in a Rome derby against Lazio.

Aleksandar Kolarov

Not a guaranteed starter at Manchester City, left-back Aleksandar Kolarov is nonetheless something of a favourite with the club’s fans due to his hammer of a left foot and ability to come up with crucial goals.

His eye for the spectacular was refined at previous club Lazio, as seen above. When he hits a shot, it stays hit.

Frank Lampard

His switch to New York might have been delayed, but fans both in the U.S. and around the world are already well aware of the talent that lies in Frank Lampard’s boots.

The veteran Englishman is an icon at Chelsea following a hugely successful spell there, which all kicked off with his first goal for the club from trademark range against Bolton Wanderers in 2001.

Christian Eriksen

Few, if any, current Premier League players can claim to be as accurate from free-kicks as Tottenham Hotspur’s Denmark international Christian Eriksen, who has consistently shown how much of a threat he is whether the ball is dead or alive on the edge of the penalty area.

This free-kick in this season’s Capital One Cup semi-final against Sheffield United helped send Spurs on the way to Wembley, where Eriksen struck the crossbar with another free-kick from the edge of the box.

Andrea Pirlo

We'll finish with Pirlo, who will be looked up to by most of the names on this list and remains a key player for both Juventus and Italy in the twilight of his career.

This late winner against Torino is a perfect example of his prowess from range, and there are plenty of others we could have picked from.