• Premier League has been blessed with some sublime free-kick maestros
• The most prolific top ten only contains two forwards 
• A Manchester United legend is the all-time free-kick master yet to be surpassed

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Free-kick specialists are worth their weight in gold and that certainly applies to these accomplished ten who scoffed at well-constructed walls and had goalkeepers seriously fretting when 25 yards out.

One moment of magic could turn that game’s live betting market on its head and send fans delirious.  What’s more, they did this with unerring regularity.

Frank Lampard (9)

Only five players have scored more Premier League goals, and with the Chelsea legend on set-piece duties across so many successful seasons for the Blues it stands to reason that he would grab his fair share of free-kicks.

With that in mind, it perhaps surprises that Lampard never reached double-figures via his trusted technique of slicing through the ball with his instep, blending power and accuracy.

Very much an up and down merchant, no slight is intended in saying that. It is the most difficult route to bypass a wall and he was the best around at it.

Ian Harte (10)

Those of a certain age will recall how an inordinate number of full-backs used to be put on pens and free-kicks back in the day. There is no rhyme or reason to this. Simply, it was a quirk of the Seventies and Eighties.

In this regard, Harte was a welcome throwback; a marauding defender with a wand of a left foot who blasted some specular goals for Leeds during their millennial zenith including a decent amount from dead-ball situations.

Morten Gamst Pederson (10)

A little under a third of the Norwegian’s strikes for Blackburn Rovers came from free-kicks, a ratio that suggests he was wasted when stationed on the left flank. Undoubtedly, he had a centre-forward’s eye for goal.

To go back in time and reimagine Pederson however would be to ignore his overall skill-set for here was a direct winger blessed with blistering pace who only seemed to get quicker with the ball at his feet.

His assists and damage done when drifting in from out wide was invaluable to Rovers as they fended off relegation throughout the 2000s. His free-kicks were cherries on top.

Laurent Robert (11)

In 2001/02, the artful Frenchman scored five goals direct from free-kicks in the English top-flight. Only David Beckham can match that.

Where the former Newcastle creative did trump ‘Goldenballs’ though was in the diversity and outstanding nature of his set-piece goals.

There was one at Liverpool’s expense that flew in like an Exocet missile from fully 35 yards. Another, against Southampton had as many twists and turns as a M Night Shyamalan flick along the way.

Robert may have been a frustrating presence for the Magpies but with a highlights reel of such quality all is forgiven.

What’s the betting that newly-minted Newcastle will soon go out and purchase more extravagant ballers in Robert’s mould should they avoid relegation? Let’s hope so, for the sheer joy they give to everyone.

Sebastian Larsson (11)

Think of the greatest free-kick practitioners of the Premier League era and the Swede doesn’t immediately spring to mind, possibly due to where he performed his alchemy, with Sunderland, Birmingham, and Hull not typically clubs that reside in the limelight.

Which is a shame because few were better than Larsson at putting whip at the last second on what was essentially a lofted pass, a manoeuvre that often found a corner of the net just beyond a goalkeeper’s reach.

An expert corner-taker too, an argument could be made that the midfielder would make another Premier League all-time top ten, that of most under-rated talents.

Cristiano Ronaldo (12)

CR7’s patented ‘knuckleball’ free-kicks have rippled the net on 56 occasions across a quite extraordinary career and the success of the unusual technique has inevitably brought a legion of emulators.

On frayed Sunday league pitches up and down the land and even on pristine Premier League turf, it has become commonplace to see players mimic his stance, legs apart, breathing regulated, before approaching the ball head-on.

The ball is driven, through the laces, body contorted to elicit maximum power, and when the method works there is a vicious swerve and dip that makes it impossible to read.

Only what we so often see is the ball ballooning miles over or the player in question pulling up with a hammy. Sometimes greatness is best left to the greats.

Gianfranco Zola (12)

The diminutive Chelsea icon spent countless hours perfecting his craft on the training pitches of Napoli, learning first-hand from his team-mate and mentor Diego Maradona.

On arriving on our shores, the Italian maestro wasted little time in bamboozling keepers and astonishing crowds with his rare ability to swerve the ball to its chosen destination at pace.

Such was the combination of beauty and venom that when executed perfectly it left even true greats like Peter Schmeichel rooted to the spot.

Our Premier League predictions tip Chelsea for silverware this season but our hunch would be stronger still if Zola was on free-kicks.

Thierry Henry (12)

The fantabulous Frenchman broke all manner of Premier League records in the eight years when he graced us with his nonchalant panache. For free-kicks however he must cede to two others.

Even so, twelve works of art that could, and should, be hung in the Louvre is more than adequate with one particularly standing out.

Against Wigan in 2005, from fully 30 yards out, Henry eschewed va-va-voom to instead casually place his shot, as if flicking away a pebble in his path.

He then turned to his team-mate and asked ‘Is that enough?’ That and eleven other gems really were.

James Ward-Prowse (14)

By the time the Southampton midfielder hangs up his boots he may well be the Premier League’s all-time free-kick master, an achievement that would be well deserved given the incalculable hours he spends honing his speciality after training.

Since David Beckham left Old Trafford in the early 2000s no other player boasts a better chance conversion rate from set-pieces and what astounds is the variety found in his back-catalogue.

There is a ‘knuckleball’ in there – a long-range screamer that gained national attention versus Wolves – as well as a few cheeky floated efforts and drilled, low deliveries reliant on potency.

So skilled is the England international at his craft that defenders are notably reluctant to commit fouls on Saints players within sight of goal and it may only get worse for them in years to come.

Ward-Prowse spends his days off teaching his young son how to take free-kicks in his back garden.

David Beckham (18)

A technically sublime striker of a dead ball, Beckham’s trademark curled shots gave Manchester United an advantage they scarcely needed during a long period of dominance.

A stoic side would somehow keep Andy Cole or Ruud Van Nistelrooy quiet for nearly ninety minutes and nullify Giggs and Scholes too. But then a careless trip within shooting range and it was game over.

A poll conducted by the BBC in 2020 asked the public to determine who has been the Premier League’s best ever free-kick taker. James Ward-Prowse came second with 12% of the votes. Beckham got 60%.

The boy from Leytonstone is synonymous with the art-form. There was no-one better before and there has yet to be anyone better since.

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 19th April 2022

Staged on the Sunday of the Guineas weekend, the fillies’ 1000 Guineas is regarded as a very prestigious race.

Like the 2000 Guineas, it is also one of only five British classic races and the first fillies’ classic race of the season.

Named after the prize purse when the race was first run in 1814, the 1000 Guineas is also run over Newmarket’s Rowley Mile.

A tough test for the fillies, the last two furlongs of the Rowley Mile always sorts out the champions from the also-rans.

The rarely attempted fillies’ Triple Crown (Guineas, Oaks, St Leger) is even harder to win. Only 9 fillies have ever done so – 8 of that 9 were before 1955.

Searching back through all the online horse racing blogs well tell you that the last filly to win it was Oh So Sharp in 1985.

The closest we have been to the Triple was back in 2016, when Aidan O'Brien's top filly Minding, came through the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks with flying colours.

Unfortunately, she went onto compete in some top Group One affairs against all ages, including taking the Queen Elizabeth II on Champions Day, instead of tackling the stamina-based St Leger.

The thought was that the Leger would just stretch her reserves too much.

1000 Guineas Royal Winners

The Royals are no strangers to famous race rolls of honour and the 1000 Guineas has gifted them several winners over the years.

The 4th Duke of Grafton was a prolific winning owner in the early 1800s, but up another notch or two from that was the Prince of Wales’ horse, Thais, who was champion in the 1896 contest.

In 1928, King George V (Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather) enjoyed victory with his horse Scuttle. His son, King George VI, also claimed victories with Sun Chariot in 1942 and Hypericum in 1946.

Our current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II joined those that went before her as a successful winning owner when Highclere was first to cross the finish line in 1974.

1000 Guineas Record Times

Last year’s 1000 Guineas was won by Mother Earth (10/1), with Saffron Beach (9/1) and Fev Rover (22/1) in second and third positions.

The top three 1000 Guineas times over the last 20 renewals:

• 2009 - Ghanaati (1:34.22)
• 2015 - Legatissimo (1:34.60)
• 2007 - Finsceal Beo (1:34.94)

Recent 1000 Guineas Winners

• 2021 - Mother Earth (Frankie Dettori / Aidan O’Brien) Time: 01:36.37
• 2020 - Love (Ryan Moore / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:35.8
• 2019 - Hermosa (Wayne Lordan / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:36.9
• 2018 - Billesdon Brook (Sean Levey / Richard Hannon) Time: 01:36.6
• 2017 - Winter (Wayne Lordan / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:35.7
• 2016 - Minding (Ryan Moore / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:36.5
• 2015 - Legatissimo (Ryan Moore / David Wachman) Time: 01:34.6
• 2014 - Miss France (Maxime Guyon / Andre Fabre) Time: 01:37.4
• 2013 - Sky Lantern (Richard Hughes / Richard Hannon Sr) Time: 01:36.4
• 2012 - Homecoming Queen (Ryan Moore / Aidan O'Brien) Time: 01:40.5 
• 2011 - Blue Bunting (Frankie Dettori / Mahmood Al Zarooni) Time: 01:39.3

1000 Guineas Statistics

• Age: 3-y-o’s only.
• Price: Only one of the last 10 winners was sent off the favourite (2016 Minding 11/10f), 6/10 winners came from top three in the horse racing odds.
• Last time out: 4/10 winners won on their last run before the 1000 Guineas, 7/10 winners had a run in the last 31 days.
• 2/10 winners ran in the Nell Gwyn Stakes on their last run, 0 of the 2 won, 1 placed.
• 2/10 winners ran in the Fillies’ Mile on their last run, 1 of the 2 won, 1 placed.
• Course Form: 8/10 winners had at least one previous run at Newmarket, 4/10 had at least one previous win at Newmarket.
• Distance form: 10/10 winners had at least one previous run over a mile, 4/10 had at least one win over a mile.
• Flat Form: 8/10 winners had at least five previous flat runs, 10/10 winners had at least two previous flat wins.
• Rating: 7/10 winners had a rating of 110 or higher.
• Group Victories: 9/10 winners had at least one win in Group 1-3 race.
• Season Form: 7/10 winners had at least one previous run that season, 2/10 winners had at least one previous win that season.

1000 Guineas Trainers Trends

Like many of the other English Classics, the leading trainer in the 1000 Guineas over the last 20 renewals is Aidan O'Brien who has saddled the winner seven times.

Those seven winners came courtesy of Virginia Waters (2005), Homecoming Queen (2012), Minding (2016), Winter (2017), Hermosa (2019), Love (2020) & Mother Earth (2021). O’Brien’s horses are regularly singled out as the NAP of the day by many pundits.

Two trainers that are on the 1000 Guineas cold list are Mick Channon, who has sent a total of 18 runners to the Newmarket feature race without registering any wins, whilst John Gosden is an even bigger surprise with his 15 runners without reply.

1000 Guineas Jockeys Trends

The leading jockey in the 1000 Guineas over the last 20 years is Ryan Moore who has won the race four times, scoring with Homecoming Queen (2012), Legatissimo (2015), Minding (2016) & Love (2020).

Other multiple winners are Frankie Dettori (3 wins) and Wayne Lordan (2 wins).

Currently the ones to avoid in the betting are William Buick who has had a total of 13 rides to the race without a win and Jamie Spencer with 11 unsuccessful mounts.

1000 Guineas Trial Races

The first fillies Classic of the season is now served by several trial races, namely the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket, while the 1000 Guineas itself is a recognised trial for the Oaks at Epsom.

Starting Prices

Over the last 20 renewals there have only been a total of four winning favourites in the race and the race often throws up a surprise result.

The biggest priced winner in recent times was Billesdon Brook in 2018 when winning for Richard Hannon at odds of 66/1 and expertly produced on the line by Sean Levey.

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 19th April 2022

• Gianfranco Zola was a special player who scored special goals

• The much-loved Italian lit up Serie A and the Premier League across the Nineties

• His long career at the top has ensured a considerable net worth

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Born on the beautiful island of Sardinia on July 5th, 1966, Gianfranco Zola’s artistic brand of football was admired by one and all, especially supporters of the six clubs he created memorable goals, assists and moments for.

At each club the little forward was cherished, with Chelsea even doing him the honour of retiring his shirt number on leaving Stamford Bridge.

Prior to that, Zola made over 200 appearances in Serie A, for Napoli and Parma respectively. Again, at both clubs, he was venerated.

In Italy, he won a league title with Napoli and enjoyed European glory with Parma while his move to West London coincided with the Blues attaining lots of silverware.

According to our latest betting odds, Chelsea are in the running to win further trophies this season.

But it wasn’t simply about success with Zola. His rare gifts made him a joy to watch and subsequently he became one of the most popular players in Premier League history.

Indeed, so highly is Zola regarded in his adopted country, he has been given an OBE and inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

All of which, across an illustrious career during a period when fortunes were poured into the game, has made Gianfranco Zola a very rich individual. Very few would claim he wasn’t worth every penny and Euro.

Football Career

There are a certain number of 90s footballers who are universally recalled with great fondness and Zola is certainly among them.

Coming to the fore at Napoli, as an understudy to Diego Maradona, the diminutive schemer would go on to inherit the Argentine’s fabled number 10 jersey in Sicily, scoring 32 goals in 105 appearances.

A £13m transfer to Parma in 1993 had him compete with Hristo Stoichkov for a starring role up front but eventually relocated to the left, the player worried about his standing within the international set-up.

For the Azzurri, Zola made only 35 outings, a surprising tally given his immense talent.

A move to ambitious Chelsea followed in the mid-Nineties, to a club on the up who were making a series of cosmopolitan signings.

In the capital, Zola exhibited his full range of magical qualities over seven seasons, helping his side win two FA Cups, a League Cup, and a European honour.

Twice he was voted the club’s Player of the Year while beyond the Bridge he was hugely admired for his vision, touch, and ability to invent a goal from seemingly nowhere.

A week before Chelsea were bought by Roman Abramovich, the striker left and wound down his career at Cagliari, winning promotion to the Italian top-flight in his swansong campaign.

How Much Is Gianfranco Zola Worth?

Zola is said to be worth a little north of £26m, a substantial sum that has partly been obtained from a consequent move into management, with West Ham, Watford and Birmingham the three biggest clubs he has taken charge of.

His latter days at Chelsea had the brilliant forward on £2m per year – a sharp rise from £700,000 a year on arriving seven years earlier - and to illustrate Zola’s integrity he was offered a third more to stay but had already given Cagliari his word to move there in 2003 on a significantly reduced wage of £400,000.

In 2008, a £1.9m per year package tempted the recently retired player into management at West Ham and his time in the dug out further demonstrates Zola’s ethics, not complaining when he was forced to take a pay cut soon after.

He later chose to resign at Watford, thus depriving himself of a bumper pay-off.

It is a sense of decency that extends beyond his direct earnings from football, with the player hardly known for commercial tie-ins that many of his contemporaries found lucrative.

There was a long-standing boot deal with Mizuno, a Japanese sports brand but elsewhere the quietly-spoken and humble Zola was not one for putting his name to various products.

Instead, he made a left-turn post-retirement and founded his own company, a high-end ice cream business that has stores across London and Milan.

Each café sells a range of gelato in different flavours with a recent branch opening just a mile from his beloved Stamford Bridge.

Family

On the pitch, Zola was a wizard, a favourite of the live betting community due to his unerring ability to turn a game on its head from a drop of his shoulder. A superstar no less.

Off it however, he remained throughout his high-profile career and is still to this day, a private family man, happily married to Franca, and raising three children.

Their eldest child, Andrea, followed in his father’s footsteps only as a very different kind of player, specializing as a full-back for Greys Athletic at non-league level after coming through West Ham’s famed academy.

Franca meanwhile was a constant source of support to Zola throughout his playing career, often attending games and accompanying him to events.

The forward has joked in the past that she would dispute his nice guy reputation with a tendency to be grumpy after defeats.

Moments of Magic

Nicknamed ‘Magic Box’ by his adoring fans in West London, Zola was capable of pulling off the spectacular, even defying belief at times with goals that live long in the memory.

One such goal was an impish back-heel from a corner against Norwich in 2002, a mesmerizing piece of skill that has been pored over on YouTube close to half a million times.

The poor Canaries were on the receiving end that day and face hardship again with our Premier League predictions tipping them for the drop.

Another, at Manchester United’s expense in 1997 had him dancing through the Reds defence, leaving them bamboozled.

But it was free-kicks that were Zola’s real forte, a talent honed by spending countless hours after training with the legendary Maradona at Napoli.

Only four other players have scored more free-kicks in Serie A history while at Chelsea he routinely rippled the net after finding a trajectory over or around a wall.

One commentator put it best when describing one of his 59 Premier League strikes – Gianfranco Zola was a special player who scored special goals.

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 18th April 2022

• Sergio Aguero is Manchester City’s all-time leading goal scorer with 260 goals

• Raheem Sterling is close to breaking into City’s top 10 scorers

• Read below for Manchester City’s all-time top scorers

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We’ve dived into Manchester City’s all-time leading scorers list.

Led by a man who often featured in Premier League top scorer odds, this collection of City stars is a journey through the history of the club from the 1890s through to the glories under the management of Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola.

Plenty played years before European football tips were even a topic of discussion. Others enjoyed success on the continental stage. Here are the 10 leading goal scorers in the history of Manchester City.

Fred Tilson – 132 goals

Plying his trade for Manchester City between the wars, Fred Tilson doesn’t immediately come to mind when thinking of the best Manchester City players of all-time, but the former striker is an inductee of the club’s Hall of Fame.

Tilson enjoyed promotion to the top flight early in his City career, and featured in several deep FA Cup runs. He moved to Northampton Town in 1938, but returned to Manchester as chief scout in his post-playing career.

Billie Gillespie – 132 goals

Twice winner of the Second Division and lifting the FA Cup in 1904, Billie Gillespie played in a very different era. Football before the First World War was a far cry from the glitz and glamour of City’s 21st century megastars.

Gillespie, though, was a big name at the club in his era, signing from Strathclyde in 1897.

Prolific throughout his period with the club, his stint came to an end in controversial when he refused to pay a fine from the FA and moved to the United States.

Tommy Browell – 139 goals

Debuting for City in 1913, Tommy Browell had such an impact at the club that a street near Maine Road was named after him.

Putting up impressive numbers with both Hull and Everton and catching more than his fair share of headlines, Browell signed with City for £1,780 and was immediately impacted.

The First World War stole some of his peak years, but he returned to goal scoring form when sport resumed and finished with 139 goals for the Manchester club.

Francis Lee – 148 goals

The star man through one of Manchester City’s most successful periods, Francis Lee was believed to be the final piece of the puzzle when he arrived from Bolton.

He lived up to the hype and then some, even scoring in their final day win to secure the league title.

Lee continued to impress in the coming seasons, scoring goals aplenty as City won the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.

It’s no secret that Lee’s goal tallies were boosted by penalties and there were accusations of diving – it could be argued his skill for winning spot kicks was a sign he was before his time.

Billy Meredith – 152 goals

First playing for Manchester City in 1894, Billy Meredith’s final appearance for the club came three decades later (there was a spell with Manchester United in between two City stints).

Meredith avoided injuries throughout his career thanks to extreme agility and fitness. He approached the game with a level of seriousness that many of his peers did not – he did not drink or smoke, and committed to numerous additional training sessions.

With quick feet and crossing ability, Meredith was primarily utilised on the flank, which makes his goal tally all the more impressive.

His impact on the game went far beyond the on-pitch, however, as he was a driving force in the founding of the Players’ Union.

Joe Hayes – 152 goals

The club’s third-highest goal scorer at the time of his retirement, Joe Hayes won an FA Cup with Manchester City in the 1950s and was prolific for several seasons in a row.

Like so many players in that era, though, a knee injury impacted Hayes’ abilities. He was never the same player, losing some of the burst that made him such an effective inside forward.

The Kearsley native moved to Barnsley in 1965 and finished his career with Wigan.

Colin Bell – 153 goals

The King of the Kippax was long regarded as Manchester City’s greatest ever player. Modern stars have surpassed Bell in that category, but he remains a club legend and their fourth-highest goal scorer of all-time.

Combining sublime technical ability with Olympian-level fitness, Bell had nine consecutive seasons of 10 or more goals for the club.

He won honours domestic and continental with City, and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Tommy Johnson – 166 goals

Known for a lethal left-footed shot, Tommy Johnson spent the first decade of his career with Manchester City and holds the club record for the most goals in a single season with 38.

He left to play alongside Dixie Dean for Everton in 1930, however, and then joined Liverpool.

Like so many players, Johnson’s career was bookended by the Second World War. He played his final match for Darwen in 1939.

Eric Brook – 177 goals

Manchester City’s all-time leading scorer for the best part of a century, Eric Brook played for the club from 1928 until the start of the Second World War.

He was at the centre of FA Cup and league wins and put together 11 consecutive seasons with at least 10 goals in all competitions.

Brook remained at the club through ups and downs, but his career was brought to an end when he suffered a fractured skull while traveling to a wartime international against South Africa.

Sergio Aguero – 260 goals

Quite simply one of the greatest players to feature in Premier League predictions, Sergio Aguero looked destined to hold this record from the day he arrived at the club.

Aguero cruised by Brook’s tally, enjoying eight seasons with 20 or more goals and five where he reached 30 or better.

Amid five league titles and numerous other cups, it goes without saying that Aguero’s goal against QPR in 2012 is the defining moment of his footballing career and a lifelong memory for City fans.

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