Paul Gascoigne, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Michel Platini, Glenn Hoddle... Each one a free-kick specialist, a dead-ball wizard.
There will always be something a bit special about free kicks just outside the penalty area. Will we see a spectacular strike, or a flying save? And will the wall do its job, or do 'a Samir Nasri'?
Our latest Golden Years special focuses on the beauty of free kicks - and the Watford Wall.
There are glorious strikes, and glorious saves. And of course the walls. We have plenty of walls for you.
As ever, if anything you see brings back a particular memory, feel free to share it in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
And we'll be back next Wednesday with some more special memories in this nostalgic series.
Aston Villa's Bob Iverson tries to chip a free
kick over the Chelsea wall during a 1946 Division One match at Stamford
Bridge. Look at the different positions of Chelsea players in the wall.
Villa claimed a 3-1 win in London on the way to an eighth-placed finish -
their opponents Chelsea eventually finished 15th in the table
Another picture of Chelsea in action - this
time, it's goalkeeper Harry Medhurst making a brilliant save from a free
kick
during the second replay of an FA Cup tie against London rivals Arsenal,
in a match played at White Hart Lane. Chelsea eventually won through in
the third round tie, claiming a 2-0 victory
Spanish goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets makes a save
from a free kick
during a 1950 World Cup group clash with Chile at Rio's legendary
Maracana in 1950. Ramallets, who spent most of his career with
Barcelona, played 35 times for his national team. Spain won this match
2-0 and ended up as winners of their first group, which also included
England, but they were knocked out at the next group stage
Preston goalkeeper Fred Else fails to stop a
free kick from flying into the net in a Division One clash with
Tottenham in 1960. The game finished in a 1-1 draw. Like many
goalkeepers, Else enjoyed a long career - he spent most of his career
with North End, where he played between 1953 and 1961. He then joined
Blackburn, spending five years at Ewood Park, before finishing his
career with Barrow
Ferencvaros players surround the ball as they
prepare to take a free-kick during their 1965 Fairs Cup semi-final,
second leg, clash with Manchester United. Every single United player is
in shot here - (from left) John Connelly, Shay Brennan, Nobby Stiles,
Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, Pat Crerand, David Herd, Pat
Dunne, George Best and Tony Dunne. The Hungarians won 1-0, before seeing
off United in a replay and then beating Juventus in the final
Pele has struck a free-kick with such force here
that he has taken off the ground. His effort flies into the net to help
Brazil to a 2-0 win over Bulgaria in a 1966 World Cup group clash at
Goodison Park. It was a good start to the tournament for the defending
champions, but subsequent defeats in their group against Hungary and
Portugal sent Pele and Co packing
A four-man Manchester City defensive wall
preparing to face a free kick in a derby clash with United at Old
Trafford in 1970. From left to right: Arthur Mann, Alan Oakes, Colin
Bell, and Mike Summerbee. City won 2-1 against their neighbours. In five
meetings with United that season, City emerged victorious on three
occasions
This picture comes from one of football's truly
iconic matches, the 1978 World Cup final between Argentina and Holland
in Buenos Aires. Here, Argentina's Oscar Ortiz curls a free kick around
the Holland wall. You will notice the ticker tape strewn across the
pitch. The hosts won 3-1 after extra-time to claim their first World Cup
Kevin Keegan (above) firing a free kick at goal,
watched by Dave Watson and Phil Thompson, during a Home International
clash with Scotland in 1979. In the below picture, Trevor Francis
appears to be turning round for instructions as England form a wall to
face a France free-kick during a 1982 World Cup clash in Bilbao. It was
England's first World Cup finals match for 12 years, and they won 3-1 to
give themselves the perfect start to the tournament
The memorable 'Watford wall' here in 1983.
Watford's Ian Bolton prepares to take a free kick with a wall of his
teammates obscuring the view of the ball for Kaiserslautern players
during a Uefa Cup first round, second leg, match at Vicarage Road in
1983. On a famous night for Watford, a 3-1 deficit from the first leg
was overturned, as Graham Taylor's men won 3-0. The Hornets made it
through to the third round, before going out to Sparta Prague
Feyenoord's Johan Cruyff attempts to block Glenn
Hoddle's free kick for Tottenham in this 1983 Uefa Cup clash. The Dutch
great was in the final season of a memorable 20-year career. It turned
out to be a special European campaign for the Londoners, who went all
the way to the final and beat Anderlecht on penalties
French legend Michel Platini scores arguably his
most important ever goal here with a free kick for his country in the
1984 European Championship final against Spain. This goal put the French
on their way to a 2-0 win on home soil and a first major tournament
victory. Platini's sheer brilliance during the tournament that summer
was a major factor in their success
The caption that was filed with this picture
simply reads: 'Derek Parkin feels the pinch'. Wolves players are
gathering in a wall here to face a Liverpool free-kick during a 1980s
league clash.
Look at the despairing looks on the faces of
French players Patrick Battiston, Manuel Amoros, Jean Tigana, Luis
Fernandez and goalkeeper Joel Bats here, as West Germany's West German
defender Andreas Brehme (second right) scores with a free kick in a
World Cup semi-final in Mexico in 1986. West Germany won the match 2-0,
to repeat their 1982 semi-final win over the same opposition, but they
lost in the final to Argentina
Charlton's Nicky Johns makes a flying save to
prevent John
Barnes scoring from a free kick for Liverpool during a Division One
clash at Anfield in 1987. It didn't help the Addicks much in the end, as
Liverpool ran out 3-2 winners on their way to a 17th league title
Paul Gascoigne fires home a wonderful free kick
against bitter rivals Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Spurs won 3-1 that day against an Arsenal team that would go on to win
the league title. Tottenham went on to beat Nottingham Forest in the
final
Tunisia's players display varying degrees of
commitment here as they defend a free kick in their quarter-final clash
with Gabon in Durban at the 1996 African Cup of Nations. Tunisia won
this last eight clash on penalties, and went on to reach the final,
where they lost to hosts South Africa
One player that spent his career smashing in
fine free kicks from distance was Nottingham Forest and England defender
Stuart Pearce. Here is a picture of Pearce scoring the opening goal for
Forest in a 2-0 win over Chelsea at the City Ground in 1997. A few
months after this, Pearce left Forest after 12 years and joined
Newcastle
Barcelona star Luis Figo curls in a free-kick at
the Nou Camp against Real Madrid, a club he would later join. This 1999
league match between the two great rivals ended in a 2-2 draw, with
Raul scoring a late equaliser for Madrid
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