TOP FIVE Players Who Have Scored The Most Free Kicks In Premier League History

Scoring a goal from a free kick requires good technique and a lot of practice on the training pitch.

Some of the best players in the world, like Lionel Messi, are outstanding from set pieces but there are also so-called “free kick specialists” out there.

In today’s list, we will be looking at the players who have bagged the most free kicks since the beginning of the Premier League back in 1992.

Press the next page as we go through the five most prolific scorers from dead-ball situations over the last three decades.

=4) Christian Eriksen – 8

As well as being an excellent passer, the Danish international is superb when striking a ball from outside the box.

Although he is unlikely to add to his free kick tally this season, after picking up an ankle injury, Eriksen could still move up this list in the future.

Juan Mata (who is a former United player) has also scored eight free kicks in the Premier League but we have left him off the top five, as he played 22 more games than Eriksen.

=4) James Maddison – 8

The England international has scored eight direct free kicks for Leicester in only 148 league appearances.

Maddison is by no means a one-trick pony, though, having also scored his fair share of long-range shots from open play over the years.

The 26-year-old is clearly an excellent striker of the ball, and he is a danger to the opposing goal even from 25 to 30 yards out.

3) Cristiano Ronaldo – 10

The Portuguese legend popularised the “knuckleball” technique for scoring from free kicks, hitting the ball straight on the laces to get the dip required so it goes over the wall and into the goal.

Ronaldo’s technique from dead-ball situations was up there with the very best during his first spell with United, although he become less prolific at freekicks as his career went on.

One of the biggest issues with the knuckleball is controlling the power. If you hit the ball too hard, it would go high and wide; too little and it wouldn’t get past the wall.

2) Sebastian Larsson – 11

The Swedish international was very much a free-kick specialist if there ever was one.

Larsson scored just 26 times in 282 Premier League appearances, meaning 42% of his goals in the English top flight came from free-kick situations.

His accuracy with his long-range shots, curling the ball over or around the wall, was very much reminiscent of David Beckham.

1) James Ward-Prowse – 16

Now the undisputed king of free-kick taking, the Southampton captain scores from a free kick every 20 matches, which means he averages at least two per season.

Ward-Prowse is equally proficient when delivering from corners and there are very few better in the Premier League era in terms of hitting a dead ball.

At 28 years of age, the midfielder could well set a milestone for free-kick goals that others will find very hard to beat in the future.

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