David Beckham? Roberto Carlos? Lionel Messi? All superb free-kick takers as well as giants of the game. But for former Stuttgart, Bayern and Lyon striker Giovane Elber, there was one player who stands above all others when it comes to dead balls: Juninho Pernambucano.
The former Lyon midfielder was renowned for his ability to bend one over the wall, scoring 77 free-kicks during his glittering career.
And there was one very good reason Juninho was top dog when it comes to free-kicks, as Elber explains to FFT.
"Simple: he practised every day!" Says the Brazilian. "Rain or snow, he’d be out there for hours after training ended. He’d take one of the youth team goalkeepers and hit free-kick after free-kick.
There was one particular free kick which sticks in Elber's mind - as it came against Bayern, the team he presented more than 250 times.
"In my first season at Lyon, we defeated Bayern 2-1 in the Champions League group stage and Juninho scored a stunning free-kick against Oli Kahn at the Olympiastadion. That was one of his very best."
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