VOTE: What's the best XI of Free-Kick Takers in History? Select yours!

Set-pieces, an art form in the footballing landscape if mastered properly. It is perhaps one of the most underrated factors in the beautiful game.

Practitioners of free kicks have been around ever since the game was invented and now it is time to assemble the deadliest lineup of accurate dead-ball specialists with a 4-3-3 formation. 

Goalkeepers

Rogerio Ceni

The São Paulo keeper holds the record for most successful free kicks by a keeper (59) and also penalties (51).

Jose Chilavert

Undoubtedly one of the iconic goalkeepers of the 1990s, not many people remember Chilavert for his ability between the sticks, instead focussing on his excellent free-kick taking ability. 

Defenders

Alex

Brazilians are renowned for their dead ball artistry and alternative candidates include Alex.

Leighton Baines

Leighton Baines has ever scored two free-kick golazos in one game.

Darijo Srna

Croatia right-back has scored 26 times for Shakhtar and 21 times for his country over the past 12 years. 

Ronald Koeman

The Dutchman had a knack of scoring free-kicks at the perfect time, scoring in a hammering of Real Madrid for Barcelona, getting the winner in the 1992 Champions League final.

Sinisa Mihajlovic

He is Serie A's record goalscorer from free-kicks, scoring 28 of them during his career in Italy.

Ian Harte

The former Leeds full-back possesses a lethal left-foot, reaching double figures in two seasons over his career.

Roberto Carlos

During his peak, he scored many free kicks with precision and power. His most memorable free kick and that the world remembers is the one he took against France.

Midfielders

David Beckham

In a team of set-piece specialists David Beckham would still be near the top of most people’s lists when picking their ideal set-piece taker. 

Juninho

He has scored 75 free kick goals between 1994 and 2012.

Andrea Pirlo

Not content with being just demonstrating the art of running the show from central midfield with his passing, Andrea Pirlo can also add free-kick master to his CV. 

Shunsuke Nakumura

Former Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura scored numerous free-kicks over his career – including a memorable one at Old Trafford – but also managed to show off his ability to put the ball on a sixpence with this effort on Japanese TV.

Juan Roman Riquelme

Riquelme was a master at bending free-kicks over the wall.

Ronaldinho

Power, pace, curve, dip and no shortage of inventiveness—as seen by those efforts that went underneath a jumping wall—Ronaldinho has long been a set-piece specialist of the highest order.

Gheorghe Hagi

This Romanian footballer has scored many free kicks and was named the best footballer in his country seven times. 

Juan Arango

Bundesliga fans will be well-acquainted with the free-kick style (and ensuing celebrations) of Juan Arango, who dominated the German top flight for five years at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Marcos Assuncao

A wonderful striker of the ball with his right foot, Assuncao could make the ball dip and swerve tremendously, finding supreme power even with only a short run-up.

Marcelinho Carioca

Capable of striking either from distance or closer range, he could impart brute force or delicacy, putting swerve, dip, curve or whatever he wanted on the ball. Such was his prowess with a dead ball that he earned the nickname Angel Foot.

Michel Platini

It wasn't sensational in terms of his ability to fire extravagant 35-yarders into the back of the net every now and then. 

Zico

Perhaps the first to turn set-piece taking into an art form, he netted more than 500 goals during his career, including 48 for the Selecao.

Forwards

Alessandro Del Piero

A cult corner regular finishes off our side.

Roberto Baggio

He scored many curling free kicks while playing for Bologna, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus. 

Cristiano Ronaldo

From the overall goals that Ronaldo has scored, the goals he has scored from free kicks have played a huge role. He hits the ball with precision and power.

Lionel Messi

The number of goals he has scored is uncountable. Just when you think you have seen the best from him, he surprises you with another. 

Gianfranco Zola

A master craftsman, Zola's chief weapon was his ability to put the ball wherever he wanted. The run-up may have been identical time and again, but where he put the ball varied every time.

Alvaro Recoba

There was nothing inconsistent about Recoba's free-kicks, though, and he could find the back of the net from any range and angle with his wonderful left foot.

Diego Maradona

He scored many free kick goals while play for both his country (Argentina) and his football club Napoli. 

What's yours?