A free kick is the purest test of nerve and technique in football: a still ball, a wall, a goalkeeper, and a few square feet of net. We ranked the masters by volume, difficulty and the sheer theatre of their best efforts.

1. 1

   Juninho Pernambucano

   Lyon · Brazil

   The godfather of the modern knuckleball. Scored from distances that should not be possible, and made it routine.

2. 2

   Lionel Messi

   Barcelona · Argentina

   Turned the curling top-corner free kick into a near-guarantee in his pomp; the most prolific of the modern era.

3. 3

   Cristiano Ronaldo

   Manchester United/Real Madrid · Portugal

   The dipping, swerving knuckleball at its most spectacular — and, in the early years, devastatingly effective.

4. 4

   Ronaldinho

   Barcelona · Brazil

   Improvisation as a weapon — the cheeky low free kick under a jumping wall was his signature.

5. 5

   David Beckham

   Manchester United · England

   Whipped, bending perfection. The free kick against Greece is etched into English football memory.

6. 6

   Andrea Pirlo

   Juventus · Italy

   The maestro’s knuckleball, struck with a still run-up and impossible calm.

7. 7

   Roberto Carlos

   Real Madrid · Brazil

   The 1997 banana strike against France defied physics and is still studied today.

8. 8

   Siniša Mihajlović

   Lazio · Serbia

   The hardest, truest strike of the ball of his era — three free-kick goals in a single match.

9. 9

   Michel Platini

   Juventus · France

   Before the knuckleball there was placement and curve, and no one bent it better in the 1980s.

10. 10

    James Ward-Prowse

    Southampton · England

    The modern specialist who studied Beckham and chased his record, scoring with metronomic precision.

A LeaguePaper editorial ranking — opinion, offered for argument.