Ward-Prowse threatens Beckham’s Premier League record
Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse is just 3 goals away from overtaking David Beckham’s record for free-kicks scored in the Premier League.
When talking about David Beckham as a footballer, the quality the Englishman had in taking direct free-kicks with Manchester United, Real Madrid or the England National Team is an inevitable occurrence. During his time in the Premier League, he set a record scoring 18 free-kick goals, but he is now on the verge of being overtaken by Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse. Beckham got his first against Southampton in 1996 and the 18th came against Everton in May of 2003.
Who is James Ward-Prowse?
The 28-year-old is the captain of Southampton and the man in charge of taking all the set pieces that the Saints get, and his great striking technique has led him to become the most feared dead ball specialist in the league.
He scored the winner against Frank Lampard’s Everton - a free-kick, naturally, his second of the season - and now the Southampton academy midfielder is just three goals away from surpassing Beckham’s record in the Premier League. His goal also gave Southampton a vital three points, meaning they are now level with Everton and West Ham at the bottom of the league.
The owner of Inter Miami dedicated a few words to him when on December 31, when Ward-Prowse scored his 15th free-kick goal, against Fulham: “ I’m looking forward to it, friend. Another great goal today, four more to go”.
What Ward-Prowse had to say on the record
Although he now has 16 goals from direct free kicks, Ward-Prowse had also spoken on talkSPORT: “I think it’s starting to take more thought in my head. The closer I get, I am aware of it. You are probably going to expect me to say but I want the team to do well. I want that to come first and the personal accolades come last.”
Premier League 2022/2023
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18West Ham United | 15 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| 19Everton | 15 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 20Southampton | 15 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Upcoming matches | |
|---|---|
| Southampton - Brentford | S-10/09 10:00 |
*Data updated to date Jan 16th, 2023
Pep Guardiola lauds Ward-Prowse’s technique
The manager that has won everything, Pep Guardiola, recently praised the player: “Southampton have the best free-kick taker I have ever seen, or at least he is in the world right now. He is so good that maybe you miss a little bit of the footballer player. He is a team player of great quality, without the ball and with the ball.
“He really understands the game but it is his free-kicks, set-pieces, and corners that people pay more attention to.”