With superstar Cristiano Ronaldo having added to his free-kick tally on Wednesday, the Juventus forward has gone a step closer to entering the top 10 list of the all-time greatest free-kick takers. Lionel Messi is also closing in, but remains behind his rival.
Click through the gallery above to see who the 10 best free-kick takers in history are, and how many goals they scored from set-pieces, according to Give Me Sport.
Ronaldo scored his 54th career free-kick in Portugal's 3-1 win UEFA Nations League win over Switzerland on Wednesday, a goal that opened the scoring, before he added another two to complete his hat-trick later in the match.
Messi, Ronaldo's long-time rival, has found the back of the net from 48 direct free-kicks in his glittering career so far, with both five-time Ballon d'Or winners still not among the game's greatest ever dead-ball specialists.
The most lethal free-kick taker in the history of the game remains Juninho Pernambucano, who scored 77 times in his many years as a professional, with Brazil legend Pele closest to him on 70 strikes, according to GiveMeSport.
Footballing icons such as Ronaldinho and David Beckham also feature in the list, as well as Diego Maradona. Marcelinho Carioca ranks in at 10th with 59 free-kick goals, with Ronaldo needing just six more to go above the Brazilian.
Read: Hat-Trick Hero Ronaldo Sets New World Record
The Portuguese's strike on Wednesday, however, was only his second direct free-kick goal since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup, with Messi having scored eight times during that same time frame.
How many career free-kicks do you think Ronaldo will end up on? Let us know in the comments section below.
