Who has scored the most free-kick goals in football history?

Who has scored the most free-kick goals in football history? There have been some brilliant free-kick takers over the decades, and we have done the research so you do not have to find the very best.

All free-kick goal records are correct as of December 2024 and include as many as four Brazilian stars as well as two players still competing at the highest level of the beautiful game, as we take you through a list of the top 10…

Who has scored the most free-kick goals in football history? – The top 10

1. Juninho Pernambucano – 77 free-kick goals

The undisputed greatest free-kick taker of all time tag has to belong to Juninho, considering that he has scored the most of any player in history. The Brazilian scored 179 goals in total for club and country at senior level, meaning roughly 43% of his goals came from free-kicks. For fans looking to relive his iconic moments, the bet365 platform offers highlights and stats that showcase his incredible free-kick prowess.

• Iconic moment: The midfielder could score from all angles, with the ball tending to dip into the corners late, given his unique strike technique. One of his best came for Lyon against Barcelona in the Champions League, scoring many on the biggest of occasions.

2. Pele – 70 free-kick goals

In some fans' eyes, Brazilian legend Pele is the greatest player of all time. However, he is second on the list, with around 10.2% of his goals coming from free-kicks.

• Iconic moment: Some of his most memorable ones have come in a Brazil shirt on the biggest stage, notably against Mexico in the 1970 World Cup, which Brazil went on to win with perhaps the greatest international team ever seen.

3= Victor Legrotaglie – 66 free-kick goals

Legrotaglie played football in the mid-20th century. The Argentine predominantly played football in his home country and was known as a free-kick specialist.

Sadly, he passed away in March this year at the age of 86, and footage of Legrotaglie in action is hard to come by.

3= Ronaldinho – 66 free-kick goals

Ronaldinho is a star every football fan knows, as the Brazilian trickster scored 238 goals in total for club and country, meaning roughly 27.7% of his goals came from free-kicks.

• Iconic moment: Many fans will remember Ronaldinho gracing a football pitch, including his free-kicks. Unfortunately for England fans, a spectacular one came against them for Brazil at the 2002 World Cup, a game in which Ronaldinho spearheaded his country to victory.

3= Lionel Messi – 66 free-kick goals

Messi is behind Ronaldo in terms of total goals in his senior career so far, but roughly 10.6% of his goals have come from free-kicks, which is a higher percentage than Ronaldo's.

• Iconic moment: One of Messi's best free-kicks came in Barcelona's Champions League semi-final first leg against Liverpool back in May 2019, netting what was also his 600th Barca goal when he fired into the top-left corner from around 25 yards out. That gave Barcelona a 3-0 lead going into the second leg, but they would lose 4-0 at Anfield to crash out of the competition.

6. David Beckham – 65 free-kick goals

Beckham managed a respectable 114 goals from midfield for both club and country. This means around 57% of his goals came from free kicks, highlighting a true master at work.

• Iconic moment: There are plenty of Beckham's free-kicks to watch and admire, but a crucial one came for England against Greece in 2001, as he produced a late piece of magic that sent the Three Lions to the 2002 FIFA World Cup:

7. Cristiano Ronaldo – 64 free-kick goals

We all know Ronaldo likes a strike from outside of the box, and he probably won't be this far down for much longer. The Portuguese recently reached the astonishing 900-goal landmark in his career, and there is still room for his numbers to increase.

• Iconic moment: There are simply too many to pick from. But we've gone for the knuckle-ball he scored against Portsmouth in the Premier League back in 2008, which some attribute to being the moment he truly completed his transformation into the dead ball specialist that would win almost every honour imaginable over the coming decade.

Indeed, Portsmouth walls were a particular favourite of his, with this being his last of three direct free-kick (DFK) goals against Pompey to date. That haul includes his maiden Premier League goal back in November 2003, while all three came during victories, helping Ronaldo on the way to a perfect record from Premier League matches to see him score via a DFK:

8= Diego Maradona – 62 free-kick goals

Maradona, another midfield legend for Brazil's greatest rivals, Argentina, scored the same number of free-kick goals as Zico. Around 21.1% of his goals in a glittering career came from direct free-kicks.

Though his off-pitch life was not without controversy, Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, given his superior technical ability and low centre of gravity.

• Iconic moment: One of his best free-kick goals was for Napoli against Juventus in 1985. Something of a collector's item, this one came inside the box after Maradona went on an explosive run and was floored by two Juventus defenders. He produced a nonchalant effort after his teammate rolled the ball into his path, curling it over a helpless Bianconeri wall and high into the top-right corner of Stefano Tacconi's net.

8= Zico – 62 free-kick goals

Zico was another free-kick specialist, with his trademark languid run-up made famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A legend in his home country of Brazil, 25.8% of the attacking midfielder's goals for club and country came from free-kicks, or just over a quarter. He often rose to the biggest of occasions, scoring free-kicks at FIFA World Cups, and is an icon of the competition.

• Iconic moment: They don't get much better than Zico's glorious hit against Scotland at the 1982 World Cup. With Brazil trailing 1-0 and the ball just outside the ‘D', Zico curled an effort into the top-right corner past Alan Rough. The Selecao went on to win 4-1.

10. Ronald Koeman – 60 free-kick goals

Koeman had a very successful playing career before he became a manager. Despite being a defender by trade, he scored plenty of goals, and free-kicks were one of his specialities. Indeed, around 29.1% of his goals were from direct free-kicks.

• Iconic moment: One of his best came for FC Barcelona against Real Madrid in El Clasico in 1994, when a powerful strike bent into the corner in a 5-0 thrashing:

When could Cristiano Ronaldo match David Beckham's tally?

Ronaldo's latest free-kick goal came on 27 August 2024, when he nonchalantly flicked the ball into the far-right corner of Abdulraouf Al-Duqayl's net from right on the ‘D', notching his 899th senior career goal.

If he does score again, then excitingly, he'll just be two more free-kick goals away from claiming third spot on this list outright. That is if Messi does not score another for Inter Miami though, as the two greats of the game are the only two players currently still active in this list.

There's also a chance of Ronaldo reaching or exceeding Beckham's tally during the next international break, given that he's still active for Portugal, even at the age of 39.

Ronaldo could also reach the tally at club level, as Al-Nassr still have a lot of their domestic season left to play in the Saudi Pro League, as well as any further matches in cup competitions.

Ronaldo did make the headlines for the wrong reasons though, as he missed a crucial penalty kick that ultimately saw Al-Nassr knocked out of the King's Cup 1-0 by Al-Taawoun at the round-of-16 stage of the competition, meaning that he will miss further opportunities to climb up the list of most free-kick goals scored.

The Portuguese is yet to score a direct free-kick goal in 2025, and as he approaches his 40th birthday, may not get too many chances to climb further up the ranks.

Nonetheless, he has still managed to keep himself in a peak physical condition, and so will be confident that he can continue playing professional football at a relatively high level for a number of years to come.

When could Lionel Messi match Pele's tally?

Messi is currently four free-kick goals (66) behind Pele's tally of 70, and at the age of 37 now, time is running out for the Argentina international to match the Brazilian icon. His club team Inter Miami lost out in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup play-offs to Atlanta United, while Argentina have also played extra CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifying games ahead of the tournament in 2026.

It means that Messi has fewer upcoming matches to potentially score some free-kick goals in with the regular MLS season now over, but that does not mean that there will not be further chances ahead. Nonetheless, he does not look as if he will retire anytime soon.

Indeed, Messi should still be a key player for Inter Miami ahead of the new MLS season, and his team will surely be one of the favourites to lift the title given the undoubted quality that they already possess in their squad, as well as the plethora of new signings from the January transfer window that have helped bolster it even further.

Nonetheless, the Argentine should still get plenty of chance to score some more spectacular direct free-kick goals under head coach and former FC Barcelona and Argentina international teammate Javier Mascherano.