The ability to take a long shot and put the ball behind the net is unambiguously the skillset that every football player, professional or immature, wishes to master. Be it as the person in the boots or the person in front of the screen, we all have at least once witnessed the beauty of a goal scored from a distance and scratched our head trying to figure out how and where to hit the ball perfectly to score a “banger”.
The very art of taking long shots and testing the goalkeepers is indeed a possession to flaunt and be confident about. Headers, penalties, tap-ins, there are a plethora of ways to score a goal but none of that can match the satisfaction and pleasure to see or score a long-range goal. To put your muscles to work, to thump the ball at the inch-perfect spot, to hone the flawless swing and score a sensational top or bottom bin – everything about long shots is très poetic.
In Real Madrid, Marco Asensio is the one who has donned this skill and scores many of his goals through distant shots.
He is surely one of the top long shot takers in modern football but where exactly does he rank among the best ball curlers in today’s date? Let’s have a look.
10. Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech was an influential youngster in the generational Ajax team of the 2018/19 season (the average age of which was only 24 years) that endured a least expected run till the semifinals of Champions League of the said season that brought him to the notice of big European elites after which he was eventually signed by Chelsea FC in 2020.
Ever since the UCL campaign with the Dutch club, the 28-year-old is known for his reliable passing abilities and long-range goals. The forward-midfielder prefers the right-wing and likes to start wide, make swift runs forward, and immediately cut the ball infield to take thunderous shots on the goal leaving defenders either with broken ankles or wide-open jaws – quite Robben-esque isn’t it?
Ziyech, famously termed “The Wizard” by the Ajax supporters, likes to boast his talent through numbers. The player runs with 1.4 average outside-the-box shots per game (31 distant shots in total – in all competitions) and has netted 2 goals of the same kind across competitions this season.
9. Toni Kroos
If you’re a Real Madrid fan you are going to agree with the point that the words underrated and underappreciated are synonymous with Toni Kroos and it’s pretty much a fact. For me, Kroos’ first goal for Real Madrid in 2014 will always be the most satisfying long-range goal he has ever scored for the club. However, might I add, that all the other “bangers” the German has scored constantly give a tough competition to the iconic first goal.
The world cup winner is accoladed with accuracy close to none, mistakes as low as zero and if these were not enough, his power on the shots is par-excellence. Kroos maintains around 2 shots on goal from a distance of about 23 yards every game netting 5 long-distance goals in the season precedent and the current one.
His performance in the scale of long-range goals as a midfielder who is often seen in the backline with the defenders is exceptional, at the same time, giving him the 9th rank was most reasonable because of how good the following names have been recently.