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Roberto Carlos says midfielder Tottenham sold for £30m was actually better than him at free-kicks

Charles Jones

Tue 6 May 2025 16:15, UK

Roberto Carlos is one of the most iconic free-kick takers of all-time.

Indeed, the Brazilian’s unique style made him one of the most memorable set-piece takers of all-time, and his remarkable goal against France still lives long in the memory.

Now, speaking to Ben Black on TikTok, Roberto Carlos has been asked to compare his own free-kick abilities compared to some modern-day greats.

Carlos claimed he was better at free-kicks than the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Cole Palmer, but, interestingly, he conceded that one former Tottenham player was a better free-kick taker than himself.

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Roberto Carlos says Luka Modric is better than him at free-kicks

Carlos was taking part in a TikTok challenge where he had to stay quiet until he heard a better free-kick taker than himself.

The left-back refused to make a sound as names such as Enzo Fernandez, Antoine Griezmann and Angel Di Maria were rattled off.

However, when Luka Modric’s name came up, Carlos said this:

“Luka, yeah Luka,” Carlos said.

“Better than you?” The host asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Carlos said.

Modric is an all-time great, and, once upon a time, he was one of the best players in the Premier League for Tottenham before his move to Real Madrid.

How many free-kicks has Luka Modric scored?

It is strange to hear Roberto Carlos saying this about Modric as he’s not necessarily famed for his free-kick ability.

Indeed, Modric isn’t necessarily a dead ball specialist, and remarkably, he’s only ever scored two free-kick goals in his entire career.

Modric’s only free-kick goals came way back in the 2007/08 season for Dynamo Zagreb, and he hasn’t scored a single goal from a dead ball since that point.

As for the best free-kick takers in football today, there are no prizes for guessing which current players have the best free-kick records.

Carlos may be a bit biased here. After all, Modric is a Real Madrid legend, as is Carlos, so he may just be reserving special praise for the Croatian due to their Los Blancos connection.