Can the art of free kicks be revived by Dominik Szoboszlai’s incredible goal against Arsenal?

Dominik Szoboszlai snapped his fingers, winked, and unknocked his hair before turning to face the camera. As if he does the trick every other match week, as if pointing to the free-kick was the easiest task he had to complete all night. No, it wasn’t.

There were multiple complications involved. 32 yards separated the ball and the goal. The wall was put together with great care. Every angle was covered; every path was blocked. Guarding the fort was David Raya, the safest keeper in the league. Screening him is the most well-drilled free-kick repellent unit. To beat them all required staggering brilliance. The Hungarian conjured the staggeringly brilliant. He sweet-spotted a shot with sting, curl and dip. He bent it over the wall, leaping towards futility and swung the ball with unreal power to beat a petrified Raya. The Spaniard stood with his mouth agape, before he shrugged his head in helplessness.

When the aim proved to be the decisive factor, it became even more precious. Later, Szoboszlai sounded far too casual with his usual underselling style. I was confident in my ability to take the chance, so I gave it a shot. As you know Trent Alexander-Arnold was taking the free kicks because he had an unbelievable shot. Finally I could have my turn,” he said.

Sit back and enjoy every angle

Sit back and enjoy every angle of THAT Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/XadhY8wuB9

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 31, 2025

However, after speaking briefly with Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah, he swiftly evaluated the angles once he was behind the ball. A good free-kick combines math and art. a little homework as well. “This shot, I didn’t practice in the last few weeks because we were shooting from closer. I had to take the risk and shoot it a little bit harder because I knew (David) Raya likes to jump one side across the goal and is an unbelievable goalkeeper. If it’s a little bit more inside he saves it,” he explained the rationale.

Both geeks and prophets are free-kick artists. Their mind uses invisible protractors to read the angles, and their eyes follow paths that are unseen to others. A dissection manual of the goalkeepers they are going to shock is in their possession. They constantly seek out new improvisational techniques, secrets, and advice for their fellow brethren. They exude a sense of pride in their unique gift. to give a lifeless ball new life. Szoboszlai is not yet an artiste, even though his thunderbolt was a piece of art.

However, the strike can revive the dwindling skill of a straight free-kick. Teams in the Premier League and throughout the world are turning to the safer option of pinging the ball into the box, finding the head, a ricochet, or a deflection with each passing year. Compared to a direct attempt, it has a higher conversion rate. Opta Stats reports that only 5% of direct attempts—one out of every 20—are converted. Therefore, teams that prioritize possession are more likely to avoid taking the direct way.

As a result, over the past ten years, the Premier League has steadily declined. It dropped to 283 last season from 384 in the 2018–19 campaign. Last year, the conversion rate fell from 6.49 percent to 3.88 percent. For example, Liverpool had one of the best in Trent last year, yet they made no direct attempts. It’s ironic that clubs prioritize set pieces over direct free kicks. Arsenal, for example, had not scored a single such goal since Martin Odegaard deposited one into the top corner in a 1-0 win at Burnley in September 2021. They have, though, in Europe. Like Declan Rice against Real Madrid last season.

One of the main reasons is their greater aerial menace, but another is the growing belief that it is not worth the risk. Liverpool’s fourth goal in five seasons (70 attempts) came from Szoboszlai. League football is maddeningly intolerant to wastage. Free kicks are an inevitable casualty.

The immediate result is the endangered status of free-kick specialists. There were a lot of them on every team throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The master of all, the Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano (77 goals, the leader), who made sensational free-kicks a matter of routine and struck from all possible angles, distance and parts of feet, his disciple Andrea Pirlo, or his senior compatriot Gianfranco Zola. Or David Beckham, or before that Zico. The latter would hang a shirt in each top corner and challenge himself to take one of them down from 20 yards every single day. Later, it became one of the several strings in the bow of a great player. Like it is to Lionel Messi (69 off 456 tries, exemplifying the art’s difficulty) The master of all, the Brazilian Juninho Pernambucano (77 goals, the leader), who made sensational free-kicks a matter of routine and struck from all possible angles, distance and parts of feet, his disciple Andrea Pirlo, or his senior compatriot Gianfranco Zola. Or David Beckham, or before that Zico.

There are very few of them in this day and age. similar to James Ward-Prowse, who is now on loan from West Ham United to Nottingham Forest. The 30-year-old has already surpassed greats like Zola and Thierry Henry and is just one goal away from matching Beckham’s Premier League record of 18 goals. The wonder strike by Szoboszlai is a virtuoso move. There are more reasons to enjoy his goal against Arsenal, though, as his next pop must be seen.