There is something interesting about watching a football player lining up for a shot from outside of the box. Like the calm before the storm, everyone knows what’s coming, and they can’t do anything about it.
It soars in the air, defying gravity, and then gets smashed into the net out of nowhere to leave defenders and goalkeepers looking dazed and confused.
These goals aren’t just about putting points on the board, but about making a statement, stamping authority, and giving the fans a moment they’ll talk about for years.
With that, the question is which players have mastered the art of scoring from outside of the box time and time again?
Today we count down the top five with goals from outside the box.
1. Lionel Messi – 98
First up, we have the maestro himself: Lionel Messi.
For most people, Messi spells jaw-dropping dribbles, impossible assists, and goals that look like they have been scripted by some team of football-loving filmmakers.
Messi’s ability to score from outside the box is underrated. That left foot of his doesn’t only move around defenders; it sends balls into the top corner from long range.
Messi has scored more than 98 goals from outside the box in his career-let that sink into your head for a second. He doesn’t rely on raw power; the strikes are interspersed with finesse, accuracy, and timing.
He has mastered the curled shot, bending the ball into the net with that magical left foot. Remember that unforgettable goal against Real Madrid in El Clásico? A curled masterpiece from outside the box that left the Bernabéu in stunned silence.
And then, there’s the brilliance from set pieces.
At one point in his career, every free kick within 30 yards felt like a near-certain goal. He bends the ball with such precision that goalkeepers are often left frozen, unable to even attempt a save.
His long-range goals have become a signature, adding another dimension to an already ridiculous career. Long-range screamers? Messi makes them look like a piece of cake.
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2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 70
Cristiano Ronaldo is the yin to Messi’s yang. Where Messi is all about finesse, CR7 embodies power and precision.
His long-range efforts are the footballing equivalent of a sledgehammer: brutal, effective, and unstoppable. With more than 70 goals scored from outside the box, Ronaldo surely deserves this reputation as an expert long-range shooter.
Because, yes, you know it is: the key to Ronaldo’s success from distance, with his purveyor of a unique striking technique. One that sees the ball seemingly defy the laws of physics, swerving and dipping unpredictably as it rockets toward the goal.
This was followed by one of his most iconic goals in the Champions League against Porto, where he let loose a thunderbolt from nearly 40 yards out and left the goalkeeper looking like he’d just seen a ghost.
He doesn’t do “tap-ins” from outside the box; he goes for the jugular.
His free-kicks are the stuff of legend too, while he perhaps isn’t a free-kick king anymore, earlier years were full of long-range set-piece goals.
From Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus, he has made a career out of putting the fear of God into goalkeepers with his long-range strikes.
He does not need an invitation to shoot; just give him an inch of space from 30 yards out, and he’ll punish you.
3. David Beckham – 65
Now, no conversation about goals from outside the box would be complete without the man whose right foot could bend it like, Beckham.
He was the undisputed king of free kicks and long-range goals, and his ability to score from outside the box made him one of the most feared set-piece specialists in football history.
In fact, throughout his career, he netted more than 65 goals from outside the box, with many of them not being less than absolute worldies.
Nobody in the world could bend a ball better than him over or around walls with pinpoint accuracy.
One of his most famous strikes came in a World Cup qualifier against Greece in 2001: with England staring at elimination from the World Cup, he stepped up in the dying moments and sent an inch-perfect free-kick into the top corner from 30 yards.
It was the sort of moment that has become part of football history.
Not only was he a free-kick specialist, but his long-range strikes were equally deadly during open play. His technique was flawless on the day, making him one of the best long-range shooters the game has ever seen.
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4. Steven Gerrard – 55
He was more than just a leader on the pitch; he was the master of the long-range screamer. If you were a Liverpool fan, you knew that any time the ball fell to him outside the box, something magical may well happen.
The former captain of Liverpool scored more than 55 goals from outside the box, many of them in critical games at the dying moments.
His strikes weren’t about the power; they were of pure footballing drama. Remember that iconic goal against Olympiakos during the 2004/05 Champions League?
With Liverpool needing a miracle to stay in the competition, he let loose with an unstoppable strike from 25 yards that sent the Kop into raptures.
That goal didn’t save Liverpool’s season, but it put them on the road to ultimately winning the Champions League that year.
He had that rare ability to balance power and accuracy. They often came at crucial moments too, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats of the Premier League.
When you think of long-range screamers, you think of Steven G.
5. Zlatan Ibrahimović – 35
Zlatan is football’s ultimate showman: a towering presence, ridiculous acrobatic skills, and undeniably one of the most entertaining players to grace the pitch.
But don’t be fooled by the bravado-his long-range goals are as spectacular as they come. He’s scored more than 30 goals from outside the box in his career, each more outrageous than the last.
One of his most famous long-range goals came in a Sweden vs. England match in 2012. The audacity to attempt a bicycle kick from outside the box is one thing; pulling it off the way Zlatan did is quite another.
That goal was simply the perfect snapshot of Zlatan’s confidence to do the impossible.
His long-range goals have been scattered across some of the world’s biggest leagues: Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, and the Premier League. He is a player that makes ordinary things extraordinary, and his long-range goals were no different.
Honorable Mentions
Narrowing this list down to just five was challenging, and a few players certainly deserve a shout-out for their long-range exploits.
- Frank Lampard, who at Chelsea would time his runs to perfection into the box and net a lot of goals from outside the box. It was a trademark of his game: late arrivals in the box, pulling out a shot from 20 or 30 yards.
- Alessandro Del Piero, whose flair and technique made him capable of producing some of the most beautiful long-range goals ever seen in Serie A history.
- Ronaldinho too, could pull off the spectacular by lighting up matches with screamers that seemed to defy logic from any range.
