Set Piece Takers to Look Out for at Euro 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing in his sixth European Championship, and will be hoping to win the second title of his career. As one of the world’s greatest ever free-kick takers, he will once again be the main man for Portugal.

With 63 free-kick goals in his career, Ronaldo is high on the all-time list, with only six players netting more than him. Lionel Messi is the only active player to have scored more. Currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has shown he has still got it from dead ball situations, scoring four free-kicks in the last two seasons. This includes two in an 8-0 win in April.

If Turkey get a free-kick in a dangerous position, there is only one man to expect standing over the ball. Inter Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu used to be known as one of Europe’s deadliest free-kick takers, particularly during his time in Germany, and he will be hoping to remind the world of his abilities at this summer’s tournament.

Whilst he has not been able to showcase his skills from direct free-kicks often at Inter, he was famously the scorer of a 45-yard attempt for Hamburg against Borussia Dortmund. In his career, he has scored from a free-kick 28 times, and has done so with great proficiency.

Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai is another player who will be taking free-kicks for their country. The Hungarian has yet to score from a set piece for his current club, but has had some success for his nation in recent years.

Premier League fans will know of the midfielder’s incredible ability from long-range, and this summer they could get a glimpse of his talent from dead ball situations. His last free-kick for Hungary came in European qualifying against Bulgaria in March of last year. He produced a stunning strike which found the top right hand corner from around 30 yards out. He also scored a winning goal from a free-kick against Turkey in a Nations League fixture in 2020.

Known for his excellent playmaking abilities, Denmark’s Christian Eriksen can also be a dead ball specialist. He will be the main man for his country this summer as they look to go deep into the competition.

During his Premier League career, Eriksen has scored eight times from a free-kick, all during his time at Tottenham. Since his Premier League debut in 2013, no other active player has scored more. For Denmark, he scored a free-kick in a World Cup qualifier against Armenia in 2017. It was a crucial strike to put his side ahead 2-1, as he netted from 30 yards out, curling it beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. He also scored twice for Inter Milan.

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold should assume free-kick responsibilities as long as he is on the pitch for England. Alongside Kieran Trippier, the pair are the deadliest players from dead ball situations in the squad. However, the two players places in the starting lineup are not guaranteed, therefore there may be opportunities for a number of others, most likely captain Harry Kane. However, Kane has not had much success in his career.

Alexander-Arnold, in contrast, has had plenty. The 25-year old has scored six free-kicks in his Liverpool career, only one and two behind Steven Gerrard and Jamie Redknapp in club history. His latest one came back in April, which was the opening goal in an important 3-1 win over Fulham.

Perhaps lesser known is Alejandro Grimaldo, the Spanish left back who plays for Bayer Leverkusen. The 28-year old enjoyed a stellar campaign in Leverkusen’s record breaking side, scoring or assisting 23 goals in the Bundesliga this season.

His performances mean he should regularly feature in Spain’s Euros team, despite only being given two caps before. When on the pitch, he should be their go-to player at free-kicks. The defender scored an outstanding free-kick earlier this season against Bayern Munich, before doing so against Mainz a couple of games after. He also showcased his abilities from set-pieces on numerous occasions at his previous club Benfica.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in the world, Kevin De Bruyne is quite dangerous from free-kicks too. The Belgian midfielder is the talisman for his side, and as captain, he will be hoping to lead his team far. He has great responsibility in the middle of the pitch, and will take even more on from set-pieces.

During his Premier League career, he has scored four free-kicks, all coming for Manchester City. In all competitions, he has scored eight for City. De Bruyne has shown he can score different types of free-kicks, highlighted by a clever attempt under the wall which found the net in an FA Cup tie against Cardiff City. His last goal was against Leicester in the Premier League in 2022, as he found the top right hand corner. He has yet to score from a free-kick for Belgium.

Kylian Mbappe is the main man for France, but Antoine Griezmann should be taking the reins on free-kicks. He may share responsibilities at times with his fellow forward, despite Mbappe never scoring directly from a free-kick before, however Griezmann’s ability from dead ball situations is somewhat overlooked.

He has not had much success from set pieces in recent seasons, but for Atletico Madrid he has shown up multiple times to score some incredible free-kicks. He has also scored for France in friendlies, and will look to replicate this in the upcoming tournament. It was Griezmann’s free-kick which was inadvertently headed into his own net by Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic in the World Cup final in 2018.

There a few players who play for smaller nations who could be underestimated when it comes to their free-kick taking abilities. Firstly a pair of wingers who are well-known to Premier League fans are Xherdan Shaqiri for Switzerland and Dusan Tadic for Serbia.

Shaqiri currently plays his football in USA for Chicago Fire, but played the majority of his career in England for Stoke City and Liverpool. During his time in the Premier League, he scored directly from three free-kicks, all for Stoke. He also netted for Liverpool in a third round Carabao Cup tie against Lincoln City. For Switzerland, he has also found the back of the net, most recently against Republic of Ireland in March.

Tadic will be the main man on set pieces for Serbia, and has scored for both club and country. Despite not doing so during his time in England with Southampton, the winger enjoyed success for Ajax. He also scored for Serbia in a pre-World Cup friendly against Bahrain.

Finally, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian winger who plays for Napoli, could be a dangerous threat from set pieces. The 23-year old has emerged as a promising talent in recent seasons, and recently scored from a free-kick for Napoli in their penultimate game of the Serie A campaign just over two weeks ago.

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