Top 10 Set Piece Takers

jonjoward1998
Jan 7
6 min read

Set pieces have been a key part of the game over the year and especially more recently as a lot of teams these days do score a lot of their goals from set pieces.

The modern era has seen many players who have been specialists from set pieces over the years and they're specialists because of the way they strike the ball and how accurate they are with their deliveries.

To be a good set piece taker, you need to lean back so you can get height on the ball and allow your foot plenty of room to strike the ball which should give you plenty of power when you strike the ball.

You also need to have vision and especially when taking a corner or an indirect free kick because you'll want to play the ball into an area where a team mate is going to run into or play right at the player so he can score first time.

The players on the list are among the finest set piece takers the game has ever seen in the modern era.

Now here is the list:

Toni Kroos

Roberto Carlos

Andrea Pirlo

Lionel Messi

David Beckham

Cristiano Ronaldo

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Xavi

Luka Modric

Angel Di Maria

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold was Liverpool's chief set piece during his time there pretty much from the moment he broke into the first team.

His deliveries from both corners and free kicks were tough for any defender to keep out because of how good his deliveries were and he was a brilliant striker of the ball when taking direct free kicks as well as he has showed on a number of occasions.

A lot of people will of course remember him best for that quickly-taken corner against Barcelona in 2019 which remains one of the most iconic moments in Champions League history.

I had to have him down in 10th because he's still got the rest of his career ahead of him which gives him plenty of time to climb up this list.

Angel Di Maria

Di Maria was always deadly from set pieces on his day because of the amount of power he put behind the ball and how perfect his deliveries were.

His corners were so good that he could even score direct from one and he achieved not once but three times in his career.

He took free kicks from almost any distance and the ball more often that not ended up in the back of the net because of the the power he put behind the ball.

His free kicks were often hit with a curve, a dip and a curl around the wall so he could get the ball into the top corner.

Luka Modric

Modric as well know was and still is such a gifted player because of of his ability to run with the ball and pick out passes from anywhere on the pitch.

But he was also a brilliant set piece taker and especially from corners which were the main set piece he's taken throughout his career.

His corners were hit with precision, accuracy and always caused defenders problems because of the quality of ball he could put in and how deep his deliveries were.

He had brilliant vision from open play and it was the same when taking corners as he knew where to place the ball hoping that someone who be on the end of it.

Xavi

Xavi was both a brilliant corner and free kick taker throughout his time for both Barcelona and Spain because of how good a passer of the ball he was.

His deliveries were usually high as he always got his foot under the ball to give his deliveries height which made it difficult for both defenders and the goalkeeper.

When taking free kicks, he was always looking to place the ball into the top corner and more often than not, the ball would end up in the top corner whenever he took a free kick.

He mostly took corners when he was at Barca as Messi soon took over as the free kick taker but when he was taking free kicks, they were hit with accuracy and precision.

Toni Kroos

Kroos should probably be higher because his set pieces were usually accurate and caused opposition defences all kinds of problems.

His corners and indirect free kicks were hit with such accuracy and precision that very few defenders could keep them out and it was the same with his free kicks, which were also hit with so much power that the keeper couldn't keep the ball out.

He showed that when he scored that free kick for Germany against Sweden at the 2018 World Cup which he bent into the top corner.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo would've been much higher on any other list but with this being about set pieces, I felt I had to have him in 5th.

Free kicks have been his specialty when it came to set pieces and he's scored some incredible ones right throughout his career for both club and country.

Very few keepers could keep out his free kicks when he was in his prime because of the power he put behind the ball and the dip he put on the ball when he hit it.

His goals against Portsmouth in 2008 for Man United and against Spain for Portugal at the 2018 World Cup are among the best goals he's scored from dead ball situations.

Lionel Messi

Messi would be near or at the very top on any other list because of the brilliant player he is.

But with this being about set pieces, I had to put him in at fourth which I feel is the right place to put him.

He's taken both corners and free kicks over the course of his career but he's better known for free kicks as he's probably taken them more than he has corners.

He's scored some incredible free kicks throughout his glittering career for both club and country including the one against Liverpool in 2019 which he scored from 25 yards and the one he scored against Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup for Argentina.

He scored around 50 free kicks when he was at Barcelona and they've been hit with such spin and accuracy that very few keepers have been able to keep them out.

Andrea Pirlo

Pirlo was a highly effective player from set pieces right throughout his career and he even holds the record for most goals from free kicks in Serie A with 28.

His free kicks were hit with so much swerve, spin and precision that very few keepers could keep the ball out of the net and a lot of them were struck low into the bottom corner.

His corners more often that not always reached his intended target and because of how precise and accurate his deliveries were and the vision he had to pick out his teammates.

He was always in control when he had the ball at his feet in open play and it was the same when he was about to take a set piece as he always knew where he was going to place the ball.

Roberto Carlos

Carlos was probably the first full back of the modern era to become a set piece specialist because of how powerful his deliveries into the box and strikes on goal were.

His free kicks were hit with so much power and swerve and very few keepers could keep the ball out of the net including the one he scored against France from 30 yards out in 1997.

He was brilliant from corners and indirect free kicks as well because of the power and precision of his deliveries which made it difficult for any defender to keep out.

Very few players were had as good a left foot or were as deadly from set pieces as he was on his day.

David Beckham

Beckham had to be my no.1 because his deliveries were difficult for any defender or keeper to keep out due to the power, bend and and precision behind the delivery.

He's without a doubt the best crosser of the ball England have ever had because of the quality of ball he could deliver and the fact that we haven't had anyone like him since.

He still holds the record for most free kick goals in the Premier League with 15 and it's his free kicks that he is known for best because of the bend he puts on his strike and how accurate he is from those situations.

He has scored some remarkable free kicks right throughout his career with that one against Greece in 2001 being his standout not just because of the strike, but because of the moment it was for both him personally and his England team.

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