Set Piece

A player who excels at free kicks, corners, and penalties. They're the designated taker because they consistently deliver quality. Dead ball specialists matter because set pieces account for roughly 30% of goals. Beckham, Juninho, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are known for this skill. Teams scout specifically for players who can provide quality from dead balls.

A penalty where you chip the ball softly down the middle, betting the keeper will dive to one side. Named after Antonín Panenka, who won the 1976 European Championship final with exactly this trick. You need serious nerve to try it - get it right and you look ice cold, get it wrong and you look like an idiot who cost your team the game.

The player who lies down behind the defensive wall at a free kick to stop the ball going underneath. As attacking players got better at dipping the ball under jumping walls, teams started putting someone on the ground to block that gap. It looks undignified but it works. You see it at almost every free kick near the box now, especially in the Premier League.

The steps a player takes before striking the ball on a free kick or penalty. Ronaldo's stutter run-up, with the wide stance and pause, is famous. Longer run-ups supposedly generate more power; shorter ones offer more control. Some run-ups are mind games, designed to put the keeper off. Regulations now limit how long you can take, stopping the ridiculous delays that used to happen.

A free shot from 12 yards out, given when someone fouls inside the box. Just the taker and the keeper until the ball is struck. Conversion rate sits around 75-80% in professional football, which makes missing feel worse than it should. The mind games between taker and keeper are intense, and shootouts to decide knockout games produce some of football's most memorable agony.