Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos recently played TikTok’s viral Blind Rank game, ranking the top 10 free-kick takers in football history.
Since he had to assign a rank before knowing who the next player would be, there were quite a few surprises, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s positioning on the German’s list.
Kroos Blind Ranks Free-Kick Takers: Messi Ahead of Ronaldo But Misses Top Spot
Kroos, who participates in the Icon League, played the Blind Ranking game with 433. The six-time UEFA Champions League winner got Ronaldinho first. He placed the Brazilian in sixth place.
Wesley Sneijder was up next, who got the eighth spot. Real Madrid, Manchester United, and England legend David Beckham followed Sneijder, and Kroos placed him in third place.
Kroos scored quite a few free-kicks in his career, but he did not keep himself ahead of any of the other players and took the 10th spot.
Then came Juninho Pernambucano, who is widely hailed as one of the finest free-kick takers the game has seen. Kroos acknowledged his greatness and gave him the second spot.
Barcelona legend Messi was up next, and Kroos had to take his time to place him. After careful consideration, the German put him in fifth.
Inter Milan’s set-piece expert Hakan Calhanoglu secured the seventh place on Kroos’ Blind Ranking. With only the first, fourth, and ninth spots open, Kroos got Ronaldo. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner placed his former Real Madrid teammate in ninth position, undoubtedly ruffling some feathers.
One of the greatest players of all time, Zinedine Zidane, clinched the fourth position, going ahead of Messi. The top spot went to Brazilian great Roberto Carlos and Kroos was happy to see his friend secure the honours.
Kroos’ Blind Ranking in Full:
How Many Free-kicks Have Messi and Ronaldo Scored?
Towards the beginning of his career, Messi was not one of the best free-kick takers. He, however, eventually mastered the craft and cemented his place as a deal-ball expert.
So far, the Argentine genius has scored 66 free-kicks across club and country. He scores one free-kick every 16.5 games.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, was a force to be reckoned with at Manchester United, scoring some audacious free-kicks during his time with the Red Devils. His efficiency, however, fell rapidly in the following years, with his current free-kick tally reading 64 across club and country. The Al-Nassr superstar takes 19.8 games to score a free-kick.
