Bundesliga has the best free-kick taker in Europe
Why Grimaldo shines above the rest in the Bundesliga
What makes Grimaldo different from the rest is the way in which he’s influencing matches thanks to his dead-ball skills. In his last match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he scored a brace, with both goals coming from free kicks, a feat that had not been seen in the Bundesliga in a decade.
His consistency in this area of the game places him above many competitors across the European top five leagues. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne and James Ward-Prowse have long been considered specialists, but none have matched Grimaldo’s current production in terms of efficiency. Free kicks, even though they aren’t like penalties, have some degree of unpredictability, yet the Spaniard is able to find a way past walls and into the net.
Another key element lies in the psychological weight of his free kicks. Opponents know that conceding a foul in the area against Leverkusen is practically the same as allowing a penalty kick, which has a heavy weight in soccer betting whenever they play. Few players in Europe provoke that kind of fear when placing the ball on the spot.
How has Grimaldo improved his numbers that much? The now Real Madrid coach, former Bayer Leverkusen, might be one of the reasons. Xabi Alonso, as a player, was known as a great set-piece taker. During his stint at Real Madrid as a player, there were discussions about who should take them between him, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mesut Özil. In the past, in training sessions, we’ve seen Alonso and Grimaldo talking, with the Basque showing him some of his tricks.
The challenge for Europe’s elite
Of course, Europe has seen brilliant free-kick takers in recent years, with the aforementioned Cristiano Ronaldo’s knuckleballs and Lionel Messi’s otherworldly precision. Yet, with both in the twilight of their career and playing in Saudi Arabia and the United States nowadays, there is no match for Grimaldo.
However, something has to be said about the Bundesliga and free-kicks. The top three most prolific players from set-pieces since Grimaldo arrived there are from the German league. Maximilian Arnold (Wolfsburg) and Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) were tied with the Spaniard until his brace of goals against Eintracht.
For Leverkusen, this quality has been a priceless asset. Bundesliga matches are close, and having a player who can decide games by themselves is a rare privilege, even more for teams that aren’t called Bayern München. Even rarer when that player is a defender. But Grimaldo is more than a traditional left-back: he’s always attacking overlaps, contributing to start the attack transition, and, of course, he has given the team a new dimension in set pieces.
However, there are a few questions that might arise. As Grimaldo’s reputation is growing, especially with his contribution to the Spanish national team, he might be snatched for a bigger team, now that he should be at the best moment of his career. Another possibility is that, quite simply, his level drops. Not because he gets worse, but because his free-kick streak comes to an end and other players catch up to his level. Only time will tell what will become of the player who, right now, is the best from set pieces in Europe.
