And it’s in the back of the net! That is where many of Pierre van Hooijdonk’s free kicks ended up, if not most of them. I have got no statistics to prove it, but I’m sure many of you who watched football back then remember his clinical free kicks as much as I do.
He was probably not the most technical player and he didn’t possess great pace and dribbling skills, but whenever his team needed him, he was always there to score from free kicks.
The former Dutch striker was something of a nomad having played for clubs such as Breda, Celtic, Feyenoord and Fenerbahçe. My personal favourite was his time at Feyenoord. There, he played an integral part in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup win by helping the team reach the final where he scored two of Feyenoord’s three goals in their 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.
It is arguable whether he is the best free kick specialist of all time, as names such as Roberto Carlos, David Beckham and Juninho might stand in the way. But what is certain is that his name was associated with free kicks.
The video below shows some of his best goals (not only free kicks). Enjoy!
Simon Sammour