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.
8. Lionel Messi
It is not a hidden fact that Lionel Messi is probably one of the best long-range goal scorers of modern football. The Argentine has, at every stage outdone his underwhelming stature and knocked up a hoard of beautiful goals from spots one could only imagine of attempting it, let alone score. The 2021 Ballon D’or winner is known for many things and terrifying goalkeepers with his shooting skills is one out of the huge lot.
Trolls claim that after his transfer to Paris Saint Germain, Messi’s performances have been quite run-of-the-mill and to some extent, it is true. It’s evident that the 34-year-old has suffered a dip in his game quality for which there could be several reasons but if we believe the words of his former teammate and dear friend Luis Suarez, it’s mostly because of the cold weather in France.
Speaking of statistics, Messi still competes with the best distant goal scorers today. Across all competitions, he averages around 2 out of the box shots per game, a pretty decent number. The player has attempted a total of 34 distant shots being able to convert only 3 of them into goals, the credit for which goes to his endless romance with the woodwork.
Fate has not favoured the Argentine lately but his name is enough to remind you that he is capable of turning things around in a snap.
7. Ruslan Malinovskyi
Ruslan Malinovskyi is one of the many hidden gems who are not talked about enough in Gasperini’s generational Atalanta side. Interestingly, this player is so explosive and crucial for the Serie A club that the team’s progressions revolve around his game and the manager even implemented a switch in formations to put Malinovskyi at the best of his disposal.
The Ukrainian has displayed immense ability to score charged goals while being yards away from the goalkeeper’s den. His thunderous left foot is subject to regular praise among commentators and fans and in no time he has become an integral part of the squad while also assisting countless ups on the scoresheet.
Malinovskyi is still a new name on the list but with consistency and more limelight he can definitely swap with the top players on the index.
6. Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes’ contribution to Manchester United has been immense since the day he joined the English club from Sporting CP of Portugal. While dropping masterclasses day in and day out, the 27-year-old has earned a deserved regular starting spot in his team. Fernandes has been in the public eye commencing from his Portugal national team days and has shown no shortages in saving Manchester United from losing points on many occasions.
The player’s skill and confidence with the ball is something that makes him stand out as compared to other feet fighting for his position at the club and country level. Fernandes has scored some ridiculous screamers for United account to deadly freekicks and unerring out-of-the-box shots. The number 18 has netted 6 stupendous distance strikes for his employing club, staggering among every corner of the goal post.
His power-packed hit against Newcastle to secure a 4-1 win is arguably the highlight out of the lot which was unfortunately overshadowed by the media because of Ronaldo’s brace in the same game, his debut.
5. Hakan Calhanoglu
As soon as we hear Hakan Calhanoglu’s name, that one goal strikes our mind faster than light – the astonishing 41-meter freekick goal for Hamburger SV that was impressive enough for the opposing side Dortmund’s then-manager Jurgen Klopp to sneak out a smile. But that was not all, the inconceivable goal was just the beginning of the Turkish star’s rail of long-range shots scored since then.
Calhanoglu’s major boost came at his former club AC Milan where he scored innumerable freekicks and bangers from a distance leaving the defenders and goalkeepers puzzled with jaw-dropping expressions. This was before he recently, for a big surprise, left the club and joined the Black and Red’s derby city rival – Inter Milan in a controversial transfer enough for him to be termed as a snake by the former club’s fans.
Still, the 28-year-old has not stopped and scored 4 long-range goals for Internazionale one of which was directly from the corner flag! For the running season, the Turkish midfielder has attempted 39 thunderous shots from an average distance of 23 yards from the goal out of which 25 percent were on target! Calhanoglu simply cannot be contained.
4. Marco Asensio
“Here comes the money, here comes the money!”
Marco Asensio of Real Madrid makes it to the top 5 of the world’s best distant shooters currently and rightly so. The Spaniard is one out of the handful of players who have practically carried Real Madrid’s attack this season. Obviously, he does not match the level of Benzema and Vinicius right now and he has also had his fair share of criticism but it cannot be denied that his services have been extremely crucial in snatching away points when the team dearly needed it – all thanks to his exceptional long-range goals.
The latest salvation from Asensio’s boots came when he scored an out-of-the-box long-time-coming goal in the 74th minute against Granada to rescue Real Madrid from a usual embarrassment against lower strata teams.
Notwithstanding his horrendous injury in 19/20 that kept him off the pitch for almost the entire season, the 25-year-old has shown no apathy in scoring stunning distant shots. Asensio also reigns over the tally of most goals scored from outside the box (4) than any other La Liga player this season.
Continuing with the ongoing season’s statistics, out of about 40 shots taken, the winger-midfielder preserves an on-target accuracy of a fine 48%, way above any of the previous names on the list. (The highest on-target accuracy is 37% by Hakim Ziyech)
Easily, Marco Asensio is fairly ahead of the contenders he has left behind.
3. Leroy Sane
Former Manchester City star and German international Leroy Sane has always been on and off the charts but if there is one thing that majorly defines his career, it is his finesse and calibre to bag far-sighted goals. Be it at the English club or his current home in Munich, Sane cannot stop scoring goals from extreme distances.
The 26-year-old’s style is simple but effective. His high pace and dribbling skills capacitate him to run past the most physically affluent defenders, hardly engaging in tackles. At Bayern, they see him as a literal replacement of Arjen Robben which I assume befits his genius.
Sane has managed to bag 5 goals from positions out of the box (averaging 1.5 distant shots per game) this season, undeniably the best of which was his delightful strike against Dynamo Kyiv scored from an angle nobody could think of taking a shot.
2. Kevin De Bruyne
It would not be wrong to say that Kevin De Bruyne is the backbone of Manchester City and the player has now held the position for a long time. Derogatory slurs like “Chelsea flop” were commonly thrown when the English club signed him for £55 million in 2015, but well well well how the turntables. Whether the team performs or not, one name you will always hear getting praise will be his.
De Bruyne is probably the most sharp-sighted midfielder in today’s date, he can notice spaces and execute the most difficult passes so swiftly before others are even able to comprehend them. Other than his quick passing attributes, the 30-year-old is an example for many in the field of scoring echoing long-range goals.
Sit back because you will be perplexed to know that De Bruyne has scored a staggering 6 goals from out of the box just in this season and it’s only February. He has attempted 47 distant shots on goal and it portrays how confident and also reliant he, his team, and Pep Guardiola are on his exceptional prowess to shoot far.
1. Fabian Ruiz
Fabian Ruiz is perhaps a name you were not expecting to be crowned as the #1 distant shooter in the world currently but the Spaniard’s recent emergence as one of the best midfielders across nations defies all the odds. The player thrives as a central midfielder for the Serie A club Napoli and in very little time he has grown to take up a pivotal role for Luciano Spalletti’s team.
While the Neapolitans fight for the league title in a closely packed race, at the time of writing being 1 point short of current table leaders Internazionale, Ruiz is a significant contributor in the dash for the Scudetto.
The 25-year-old, in all aspects, is running for a career-best season with Napoli as he has scored numerous goals from outlying spots on the field. It is just about time before Ruiz is offered lucrative offers by top clubs across other leagues and he finally gets the glare he truly deserves.
For the 2021/22 season, the midfielder has landed the ball 5 times in the opposition’s net in a number of attempts far less and better than his predecessor, Kevin De Bruyne. While KDB took close to 50 shots to score 6 outside-the-box goals (which is monumental in itself), Ruiz has managed to reach 5 faraway goals in only 26 attempts, almost half of the former’s record.
With all facets taken into consideration, Fabian Ruiz is reigning the race for the best distant shooter in the world right now which, however, is so dynamic that the positions might shuffle as we speak.