- A lip reader has worked out what Cristiano Ronaldo told himself before scoring a free-kick for Al-Nassr.
- The Portugal superstar scored twice in the same game to take his career free-kick tally to 63, just two behind Lionel Messi.
- Ronaldo’s elite mentality and desire to prove himself as the world’s best player is still just as strong aged 39.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored many free-kicks across his long and storied career as one of the best players in football history. The Portugal international netted his most recent effort in Al-Nassr’s 8-0 Saudi Pro League victory over Abha.
He’s the best goalscorer the beautiful game has ever seen, with more than 800 career goals to his name. Only a small fraction of those strikes have been from direct free-kicks, but he is still regarded as one of the best in the world in these situations, and he’s one of the highest-scoring footballers from set pieces.
But how does such an incredible player motivate himself and keep his confidence high? Let’s take a look at what Ronaldo was recently seen saying to himself before scoring in the aforementioned match against Abha.
How Ronaldo Hyped Himself Up to Take Free-Kick
The positivity is mind-blowing
Following that strike in the league demolition, a lip reader claims to have figured out what the superstar forward said to himself before taking the shot. Footballers are more than likely always hyping themselves up inside their own head before taking any set-piece, but very few are seen to be speaking out loud.
The elite mindset of the 39-year-old is remarkable as he still has an insatiable appetite to find the net and extend his record as the greatest goalscorer of all time. In terms of exactly what Ronaldo was telling himself just seconds before striking the ball goalwards, it’s claimed the Al-Nassr attacker said:
“You are the best. You know you’re the best and you’re going to score. “It’s going to be a goal, it’s going to be a goal. You know it’s going to be a goal.”
This tactic definitely worked as CR7 stepped up and curled a beautiful effort into the top corner with his deadly right foot. Watch the clip below:
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Free-Kick Record
Only six players have scored more
The Portuguese ace didn’t only score one free-kick in that game against Abha, as he smashed in another from the edge of the box in the same match. These goals took his overall career tally to 63. Ronaldo is now just two free-kick goals behind his long-term rival, Lionel Messi, who has found the net 65 times from dead-ball situations from outside the penalty area.
This haul makes him the seventh-highest-scoring free-kick taker in the history of the sport, and there’s no doubt he still has the drive to make his way further up that list as he approaches 40 years of age. The striker has netted free-kicks for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr and the Portugal national side.
Per messivsronaldo.app, he averages a free-kick goal every 19.3 matches across his career, which spans over two decades now. This is an incredible record, but with the many records Ronaldo has broken in those 20 years, it is slightly shocking he isn’t closer to the top of the scoring charts for free-kicks.
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Goal Types |
|
|---|---|
|
Goal Type |
Number |
|
Penalty |
164 |
|
Free-Kick |
63 |
|
Outside of the Box |
68 |
|
Inside the Box |
590 |
|
Right Foot |
568 |
|
Left Foot |
167 |
|
Header |
148 |
|
Other Body Part |
2 |
Ronaldo’s Free-Kick Technique
His stance before taking the free-kick is iconic
There are few more iconic images in world football than the stance of Ronaldo when he’s lining up a free-kick. After placing the ball down in the perfect position, the ex-Real Madrid star takes a certain number of long paces back and stands with his legs wide apart and his hands on his hips. A deep breath then follows as he takes in a picture of what he is going to do when he strikes the ball.
Opposing goalkeepers are likely overcome with a feeling of inevitability that the ball will end up in their net one way or another when they see the Al-Nassr forward standing over a set piece. As he strides forward, Ronaldo is often on his tip-toes for added agility and he often strikes the ball with his laces to produce a knuckleball motion.
The most famous examples of Ronaldo firing in wonder free-kicks with this technique come from his Manchester United days. He once fired the ball over the Portsmouth wall in 2008 before the ball dipped into David James’ net at a frightening speed during a Premier League encounter.
10 Best Free-Kicks in Premier League History [Ranked]
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dimitri Payet are responsible for two of the greatest Premier League free-kicks ever.
Perhaps his next best effort came in a Champions League semi-final clash at the Emirates against Arsenal in May 2009. With the ball being placed 40 yards out from the Gunners’ goal, most footballers would have looked to deliver a cross into the penalty area, but not Ronaldo. Instead, the United talisman rifled a long-range effort into the bottom corner, past a helpless Manuel Almunia, and silencing commentator Clive Tyldesley in the process.
All statistics in this article are courtesy of the Messi vs Ronaldo App (Correct as of 20/04/2024)
