Top 11 Players With The Most Goals Outside The Box Since 2010

Chances are your here because you want to know what players have scored the most goals outside the box.

From Messi’s trademark curlers to Ronaldo’s thunderbolts there are a few footballers who quite simply have that knack for netting from range.

They have nailed down the technique to a point where if you are defending against them, you don’t even want to give them a second of space.

Just because of how good they are with their pinpoint shooting.

So in this post, I will take you through the 11 footballers who have scored the most goals since 2010 from just outside that 18-yard line.

Let me tell you though, while some of these names come as no surprise, the inclusion of other players may shock you.

So make sure you read till the end to find out exactly who they are.

Table of Contents

11. Paulo Dybala – 29

Age: 28
Country: Argentina
Currently Plays For: Juventus
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 6 (2015/16)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Juventus vs Sassuolo (Serie A 2017/18)

Juventus center-forward Paolo Dybala is up next with 29 goals scored from outside the box, since joining the Serie A in 2012.

The player is always a joy to watch, with the way he glides around the pitch and his phenomenal ball control.

One of the strongest aspects of his game is his shooting, which he is both clinical and accurate, whether inside or outside the box.

As for standout goals from him, his sidefoot finish against Sassuolo in 2017 which you can see above is of top quality.

10. Luis Suarez – 30

Age: 34
Country: Uruguayan
Currently Plays For: Atletico Madrid
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 7 (Liverpool 2013/14)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Liverpool vs West Brom (Premier League 2013/14)

Luis Suarez is so good at scoring from long range, that back in 2013 he scored a header from outside the box.

This goal which you can see below is one of 30 goals he has scored from outside the box since he moved to Liverpool in 2010.

Since then the South American who also speaks English has gone on to play for top sides in Spain.

Quite famously being part of the MSN group that dominated Europe for a few years.

With that said though and similar to Cristiano Ronaldo has done, he now uses his experience to get himself in the right positions to score goals in the box.

As a result, he doesn’t score the long-range goals with as much frequency as he did when he was in his mid 20’s.

9. Josip Ilicic – 31

Age: 33
Country: Slovenian
Currently Plays For: Atalanta B.C
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 4 (Atalanta 2015/16 and 2017/18)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Torino vs Atalanta B.C (Serie A 2019/20)

A player who arguably doesn’t get the attention he deserves is Atalanta’s forward Josip Ilicic.

The Slovenian has been a part of the free-scoring Atalanta side that scored 98 goals in one season.

From these Ilicic scored 15 taking his total since 2010 to 118 goals.

Of them he has found the net from range 31 times, this includes a crazy goal against Torino away where he scored from halfway.

8. Hakan Calhanoglu – 32

Age: 27
Country: Turkey
Currently Plays For: Inter Milan
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 7 (Bayer Leverkusen 2015/16)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Hamburger SV vs Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga 2013/14)

While he won’t be the first player that comes to most fans’ minds, Hakan Calhanouglu has made a name for himself as a long-shot specialist.

Going back to his early days in Germany with Hamburger SV he scored a free-kick from 41 yards out that took the internet by storm.

Funnily enough, this was against Jurgen Klopp who could only look on and smile as his Borussia Dortmund team lost 3 nil that day.

Since then Calhanoglu has kept his long-shot goals by converting 33, taking his overall total to 34.

7. Phillipe Coutinho – 33

Age: 29
Country: Brazil
Currently Plays For: Aston Villa
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 6 (Liverpool 2016/17)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Southampton vs Liverpool (Premier League 2014/15)

Phillipe Coutinho has scored 33 goals from outside the box and is one of the best long-shot takers in the world.

However despite having tremendous technique and having a venomous shot the Brazilian has struggled to find form.

In fact, he hasn’t scored from outside the box since his brief loan spell with Bayern in 2019/20.

Now at Aston Villa reunited with ex-Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard he will be looking to remind fans why he was one of the most sought-after players a few years ago.

6. Christian Eriksen – 34

Age: 29
Country: Denmark
Currently Plays For: Free Agent (Inter Milan 2020/21)
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 6 (Liverpool 2016/17)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Chelsea vs Tottenham (Premier League 2017/18)

Christian Eriksen who is a legend for his country and became a fan favorite at Tottenham has scored 34 goals from outside the box.

The Dane oozes so much quality, as he can place the ball from range but also put his foot through it.

Its the unpredictability, that it makes stopping his strikes so hard as you don’t know what he is going to do.

His goal against Chelsea in 2018 shows how he is able to hit the ball so well almost effortlessly.

5. Kevin De-Bruyne – 36

Age: 29
Country: Belgium
Currently Plays For: Manchester City
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 5 (Manchester City 2019/20)
Best Outside The Box Goal: Manchester City vs Swansea (Premier League 2017/18)

The Belgium maestro Kevin De-Bruyne has shown just how clever a footballer he is both for Manchester City and his country.

However while the midfielder’s main strength is dictating games in that final third and laying passes to fellow teammates, he is a player with an eye for goal.

De-Bruyne not only has two feet as good as each other, but he has the technique and power to score from range.

Its all these aspects to his game that make him so difficult to defend, as if you close him down he will pass straight through you however if you give him the time he will unleash a venomous strike on goal.

Since playing for Wolfsburg in 2013/14, he has scored 36 goals from outside the box.

One season worth noting is 2019/20 where he scored five from distance in 35 league games, helping him win the PFA Player Of The Season.

4. Hulk – 38

Age: 35
Country: Brazil
Currently Plays For: Atletico Mineiro
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 6 (Liverpool 2016/17)
Best Outside The Box Goal:

When it comes to shooting Brazilian footballer who goes by the nickname ‘Hulk’ is one of the best at it.

Playing in Asia, Europe, and South America where he grew up, Hulk has made a name for himself for being lethal in front of goal.

That is because the player has a devastating shot on him, which unfortunately for goalkeepers just happens to be quite accurate too.

At 35 now an age where players slow down with retirement on the horizon, he finished his first season back in Brazil since 2006 on top form winning the Brazil Serie A league with Atletico Mineiro.

However, that is not all, as the physical beast managed to net 6 goals from outside the box to take his career total to 38 goals.

3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 38

Age: 40
Country: Sweden
Currently Plays For: AC Milan
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 6 (2015/16)
Best Zlatan Outside The Box Goal: Sweden vs England (Friendly International 2012)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had an illustrious career where he has bagged many goals for top-tier clubs around the world.

Many people will say how he is so arrogant, however, while he may be, he constantly proves critics wrong with consistently scoring goals even despite turning 40 years old recently.

From the huge collection of goals, Zlatan has scored over the past two decades many of which have not only been from outside the box.

But will also go down in history as legendary goals that may never be repeated.

In total Zlatan has scored 38 from outside the box, which includes his unique bicycle kick from 30 yards that left fans stunned.

Above you can watch the video where he pulls it off, but just to show you the variety in his shooting below you can also see his rocket against PSG in the champions league.

Its goals like this and the record of the Swede that just shows you how good a striker he is.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 69

Age: 36
Country: Portugal
Currently Plays For: Manchester United
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: Real Madrid (2011/12)
Best Outside The Box Goal: FC Porto vs Manchester United (Champions League 2009)

Some of the best long-range goals of all time belong to Cristiano Ronaldo.

From a knuckleball free-kick against Spain in the 2018 World Cup group stage to even his unstoppable striker from 35 meters back in his first spell at Man United against Porto.

So for one of the best and most consistent goal scorers of all time its no surprise that he has scored 69 goals from outside the box.

However, the frequency in which he scores these have slowly gone down as he is reaching the peak of his career.

His best days for long-shot goals were during his early days with Real Madrid.

During 2010 and 2012 he scored a combined 13 goals from outside the box.

However, with him defying the laws of aging at 36 you still wouldn’t want to give a forward like Ronaldo any time on the edge of the box.

1. Lionel Messi – 105

Age: 34
Country: Argentina
Currently Plays For: Paris St-Germain
Most Outside The Box Goals In A Season: 9 (2019/20, 2018/19 and 2016/17)
Best Messi Outside The Box Goal: Argentina vs Iran (World Cup 2014)

While the debate on who is the goat between Messi and Ronaldo will go on for years.

One thing that can be settled on the two, is who is the best when it comes to scoring goals from outside the box.

As of the start of 2022, Lionel Messi has the highest amount of goals from outside the box with 105 over his career illustrious career.