Euro 2016: The eight best free-kick takers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Dimitri Payet

Perfect execution and ruthless accuracy can make a dead-ball situation outside the area as dangerous as a penalty.

But in addition to scoring for your side, the sight of a free-kick flying into the back of the net is one of the most satisfying in football.

Not many footballers have the necessary skills to pull it off - but thankfully a few heading to France for Euro 2016 do and fans will be hopeful that they can find their range this summer.

As excitement builds ahead of the tournament, which begins on Friday 10 June when the hosts take on Romania, we take a look at the best free-kick takers on show. Among them is a player who will be involved in that opening match and is very familiar to supporters of a London club...

Who do you think is the best free-kick taker at Euro 2016? Let us know in the comments below.