Toni Kroos shocked the soccer world when he retired in 2024. He ended his career after an impressive season. Kroos excelled for Germany at Euro 2024 and remained vital for Real Madrid. In an interview, he made headlines with surprising remarks about the best free-kick takers in history. The Real Madrid legend notably excluded both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from his top three picks.
Toni Kroos was recently asked to rank the best free-kick takers in soccer. His response surprised many fans. The German midfielder named Roberto Carlos as the greatest of all time, followed by Juninho and David Beckham. While his ranking was not overly controversial, leaving out Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from his top three stood out. Kroos did include Messi in his top five but ranked Ronaldo at number nine.
Cristiano Ronaldo was once known as one of soccerâs most dangerous free-kick specialists. However, his efficiency has declined in recent years. Despite scoring 63 career goals from free kicks, he managed just one goal from 60 attempts in European international tournaments. Since joining Saudi Arabiaâs league in the 2022/23 season, Ronaldo has shown signs of improvement. He has scored four free-kick goals for his club since then.
Lionel Messi ranks third in soccer history for the most free-kick goals, tied with Ronaldinho and Victor Legrotaglie at 66. Only Pele (70) and Juninho (77) have more. While Messiâs set-piece precision is now a key part of his game, it was not always his strength. Over time, he mastered the skill and proved his growth by scoring seven free-kick goals in the 2017/18 season. This achievement highlighted his evolution into one of the most efficient specialists in soccer.
Lionel Messi #10 and Luis SuĂĄrez #9 of Inter Miami celebrate the goal of Benjamin Cremaschi #30 during the second half in the game against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on April 27, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Lionel Messi reveals the first coach who taught him how to take free kicks
In a 2020 interview with TyC Sports, Lionel Messi responded to claims that Diego Maradona had taught him how to take free kicks. When asked about it, Messi gave a surprising answer: âThe truth is that I honestly donât remember. What I do remember is that in South Africa (FIFA World Cup 2010) we stayed to kick and Diego (Maradona) also. I donât remember if it was him, maybe it was.â
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Former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos names the greatest player in soccer history
However, Messi did reveal the coach who first taught him how to take free kicks: âThe first one who started talking to me about free kicks was Coco Basile. He used to tell me âLet go of your foot nene, look how Roman (Juan Roman Riquelme) does it, and he was one of the first coaches who told me to let go of my foot⊠I would take it slowly, âa little crossâ, Coco Basile used to tell me.â
Furthermore, Lionel Messi revealed that once he discovered his technique, he perfected it through repetition. He began taking every free kick the same way. Before the 2010 World Cup, Messi had scored just three goals from free kicks. His proficiency improved significantly after that tournament. He stressed that it took extensive practice to develop his method, confirming that individual effort was key to his success.
