Beckham still stands alone at the top
Eighteen. That is where the Premier League’s direct free-kick record has sat since David Beckham left England, untouched through more than two decades of specialists having a go at it. Opta refreshed the numbers a few days ago, with the English season about to restart.
The Manchester United midfielder got those 18 goals in 265 matches across nine seasons. One detail often gets missed: he did not score from a free kick in his first two campaigns. His first came on 26 October 1996, against Southampton, in a 6-3 defeat that still lives long in the memory. It was his 48th appearance in the top flight.
His 18 goals came in 18 different matches. Never two in the same game. Two seasons made up half the total: five in 2000-01, four in 2001-02.
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Ward-Prowse stopped one short
James Ward-Prowse looked for years as if he might overtake Beckham. He stopped on 17. His most recent Premier League free kick came on 18 February 2023, at Stamford Bridge, the only goal in Southampton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea. It was the sixth time he had won a game for his side with a set-piece strike.
The England midfielder does hold a record Beckham does not. Thirteen of his 17 free-kick goals came away from home, including the last eight. Beckham managed only 11 on the road from Old Trafford.
Behind them, Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola and Cristiano Ronaldo are tied in third place with 12 goals each. Henry owns Arsenal’s record, more than double the five scored by Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez. Ronaldo netted 11 during his first spell at United, from 2003-04 to 2008-09.
Nine goals is the best the current league can offer
Beckham’s numbers go well beyond England. He scored six free kicks for Real Madrid in La Liga, one for AC Milan in Serie A, and seven for Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS. He did not score any for Paris Saint-Germain. His league total: 32.
Laurent Robert remains the only player alongside Beckham to score five direct free kicks in a single Premier League season. The Frenchman did it in 2001-02 with Newcastle, who finished fourth that year. Ian Harte, meanwhile, got 36% of his English goals from set pieces, while Morten Gamst Pedersen scored 29% of his at Blackburn.
No active free-kick specialist comes close to Ward-Prowse’s 17 goals. James Maddison, the highest-ranked current Premier League player in the list, has nine.
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