15 Greatest Free-Kick Specialists in World Football History

It takes something extra special to score a free kick, and the players on this list have "it."

Whether from long-range or right outside the 18-yard box, these players can find the goal. The ball will dip, swerve, curve or rocket past the keeper and take the breath away.

Some of these free-kick takers are more versatile than others. Some played in different eras with different material that may or may not have affected their expertise positively or negatively.

Why are they the best? Their free kicks are accurate, powerful, exquisite and have that "wow" factor. Free kicks are a special way to score and these guys make it look even better.

Here is a list of the greatest free-kick takers in world football history.

Enjoy!

Honorable Mention

Andrea Pirlo

Thierry Henry

Shunsuke Nakamura

Keisuke Honda

Steven Gerrard  

Pierre Van Hooijdonk

Wesley Sneijder

Frank Lampard

Clarence Seedorf

Luis Figo

15. Rogerio Ceni

To score over 100 goals in your career isn't too bad, especially when you are a goalkeeper. Rogerio Ceni's free kicks were not just some goalkeeper trying his luck.

As the video shows, the goals were well-placed, with both power and curve that would make some outfield players jealous. Ceni was truly a free-kick specialist.

14. Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane was a master with the ball at his feet and that pertained to free kicks as well. His technique and style of kicking the ball made the whole process look beautiful.

That free kick against England was truly special.

13. Alvaro Recoba

Alvaro Recoba scored some pretty delightful free kicks in his time. He had good range and was able to hit power while putting the ball exactly where he wanted it.

He scored a free kick on his debut with Inter Milan.

12. Rivaldo

Rivaldo may not have had the power of his compatriot Roberto Carlos, but he definitely scored some great free kicks. Rivaldo left keepers flailing at the ball or staring as it passed them by.

His free kicks were extremely well-placed, and he showed the ability to score from longer range or closer to the 18-yard box.

11. Ronald Koeman

Again, please excuse the music. This video shows more than just Koeman's free kicks, but the ones that are shown are amazing.

A good number of them were struck with venom and there there were others that had a good amount of curve. It's a pity there are not many more videos to highlight his free-kick-taking acumen, but the majority of these definitely have that "wow" factor.

10. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the young boy on this list by a mile, but his free kicks are up there with the best. They are quite powerful and normally leave the goalkeeper standing.

He and Roberto Carlos probably have the most range of all the free-kick takers on this list. Some of the goals on this list are quite stunning and Ronaldo does deserve to be here.

9. Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona may have one thing over Pele: He probably took better free kicks. Then again, Pele never scored with his hand.

Maradona scores some great free kicks in this video, showing traits similar to those of Platini and Zico in his ability to score quite easily near the 18-yard box. His free kicks also had a good amount of power about them, even at such short distances.

8. Ronaldinho

First off, excuse the music on this video. Unless you like that kind of thing. Ronaldinho bamboozled defenders with tricks and made goalkeepers look silly with his free kicks.

Minus that wonderful goal against England in the 2002 World Cup, he does not have the range that some of his colleagues on this list do. Still, Ronaldinho's free kicks were exquisite and just added to the great arsenal this player had.

7. Michel Platini

Michel Platini's free kicks were among the best of his era and the best of all time. Like Zico, Platini was adept at scoring close to the 18-yard box and was able to get the ball up over the wall and back down as quickly as possible.

That is not something you see as often today.

6. Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos' goal against France will be forever remembered. No preparation in the world could have saved that—nor the majority of his free kicks.

Carlos' free kicks are no doubt the most powerful of all the players' free kicks on this list and the placement wasn't too bad, either.

5. Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero scored goals in many different ways for Juventus. Free kicks were one special part of that.

Del Piero had the ability to score and curve the ball from a variety of distances and angles, always making life difficult for the keeper.

When you watch some of his free kicks, it seems like the ball is floating slowly in the air and may never drop—but then it does just that at exactly the right moment.

4. Zico

Zico was one of best dead-ball specialists in the game. He was a scoring midfielder with well over 400 goals to his name; a good number of them came from free kicks.

As some presenters in the video above state, "When there was a free kick around the 18-yard box, it was almost like a penalty for Zico."

3. Sinisa Mihajhlovic

Who could forget Sinisa Mihajlovic when the topic is free kicks? This video shows a good amount of Mihajlovic's free-kick prowess.

There was power, there was curve, and he had great range and some variety to his kicks as well. All the free kicks went where he wanted them to go.

Mihajlovic holds the record for the most free kicks scored in the Serie A, with 27 to his name.

2. David Beckham

You may say this is the only good thing about David Beckham's game, but he does it really, really well.

"Bend it like Beckham" not only became a well-known phrase, but also the title of a movie. Beckham's free kicks were wonderful to watch, and it definitely didn't hurt that he scored quite a lot of them.

1. Juninho Pernambucano

The undisputed No. 1 in free kicks. Juninho Pernambucano has an array of techniques for taking free kicks, though his "knuckleball"-type free kick is his best known.

Pernambucano can score from great distance, on either side of the goal, and constantly leaves goalkeepers fooled.

He has scored over 40 free kicks in his career so far.