German World Cup-winner Kroos ranked former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo at ninth on the list of his all-time free-kick takers list, while Messi was given the fifth place.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may rank among the best free-kick takers in history, but the legendary duo aren’t part of Toni Kroos’ top-three list. The former German midfielder, in a recent interview with 433, was asked to name the top ten free-kick takers in the history of the game. He was presented with one name at a time and the task was to assign them a rank. The first player was Ronaldinho whom Kroos placed at sixth. He then gave Wesley Sneijder the eighth position while David Beckham deservingly secured the third place.
The interviewer then played a trick, asking Kroos to place himself on the list. The ex-Real Madrid man had no hesitation in placing himself at tenth. Then came Juninhowho scored 77 free-kicks during his career, including some astonishinglong-rangers. Kroos picked the legendary Brazilian midfielder as his No 2.
The next name was Messi which made Kroos take a brief pause before putting the Argentine superstar in fifth place. The 35-year-old then ranked Hakan Canhanoglu seventh. He was then handed the option of his former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo and in response, he simply said, “Nine.”
The remaining two names were Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos. Kroos placed Zidane at No 4 and the top spot went to Carlos.“Oh yeah, Roberto friend, of course, no problem,” he said. The Brazilian left-back, who played for Real Madrid from 1996 to 2007, has struck 49 direct free-kicks in his illustrious career.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has been successful 63 times across all competitions. However, the Portuguese forward has managed to convert just one of his 60 chances in the European international tournaments. Since joining Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, Ronaldo has registered four free-kicks.
Messi,on the other hand, stands third on the list of most free-kick goals with a tally of 66. The eight-time Ballond’Orwinner shared the record with Ronaldinho and Victor Legrotaglie. Only Pele (70) and Juninho (77) are ahead of the trio.
Speaking about Kroos, the former German international announced his retirement from professional football last summer after an incredible campaign at EURO 2024.
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