Some of the most reliable kickers in NFL history didn’t grow up dreaming about football stadiums—they were out on the soccer field, bending free kicks and learning how to strike a ball cleanly. They didn’t start out with footballs. They started with soccer balls, learning how to strike cleanly, shift their weight, and stay composed in tight moments. Those habits stuck.

The way they planted their feet, the way they trusted the motion—they weren’t thinking about technique anymore. It was instinct. Years of free kicks and corner drills had wired that rhythm into them. Switching to football didn’t mean starting over. It meant applying what they already knew in a new setting. And that’s what makes their stories compelling—not just the transition, but how natural it ended up feeling.

And if you’ve watched Brandon Aubrey hammer field goals for the Dallas Cowboys this season, you’ve witnessed the latest evolution of this crossover. A former MLS draft pick and NCAA soccer champion, Aubrey didn’t kick a football until his mid-20s. Now, he’s a First Team All-Pro.

Aubrey’s story isn’t unique—it’s part of a lineage. Here’s a look at the most impactful NFL kickers who started out with soccer as their first sport, ranked by NFL performance, soccer pedigree, and how much their backgrounds shaped their game.

When the game changes, but the foot doesn’t

1. Adam Vinatieri
Vinatieri played soccer in high school and briefly in college before switching fully to football. His clutch legacy—game-winners in two Super Bowls and over 2,600 career points—owes much to the instep mechanics and calm decision-making he developed on the pitch.

2. Morten Andersen
Andersen played youth soccer and nearly made the Danish junior national team. That foundation gave him the flexibility and leg power to last 25 NFL seasons.

3. Gary Anderson
Anderson’s soccer roots trace back to South Africa, where his father played professionally. He brought those mechanics to a 23-year NFL career and was the first kicker to post a perfect regular season.

4. Sebastian Janikowski
Janikowski was a Polish U-17 international and the son of a pro player. His 63-yard bombs and Raiders scoring record weren’t built on traditional football training—they were honed through years of blasting soccer balls.

5. Garo Yepremian
A Cypriot-born former Arsenal hopeful, Yepremian brought the soccer-style kick into NFL mainstream. He led the league in scoring in 1971 and helped anchor Miami’s perfect 1972 season.

6. Matt Bahr
Bahr’s first pro stint came in the North American Soccer League. A Penn State All-American in soccer, Bahr’s dual-sport precision was key in the Giants’ 1990 NFC Championship win.

7. Graham Gano
Gano grew up wanting to play for Scotland’s national team. That dream faded, but the technique stayed. Now with the Giants, Gano’s 63-yard game-winner in 2018 showed exactly how a soccer player hits a football.

8. Younghoe Koo
A childhood in South Korea playing soccer helped Koo lead the NFL in scoring in 2020. He’s known for creative onside kicks and an almost soccer-freestyle approach to ball control and spin.

9. Josh Lambo
Lambo was once the eighth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. As a former goalkeeper, his body mechanics and mental discipline translated into four elite NFL seasons with Jacksonville.

10. Brandon Aubrey
From Notre Dame soccer to MLS prospect to 65-yard field goals with Dallas, Aubrey’s ascent feels surreal. But it’s rooted in repetition.

Soccer is the feeder system no one talks about

Kicking has changed. The days of toe-punching straight-on are long gone. Today’s NFL is dominated by players who grew up on the soccer field, where fluid hip movement, instep control, and mental focus are everyday tools.

That’s why more teams are looking to players like Aubrey. As one coach put it, “You could make the case that soccer players would be better kickers than any kicker in the NFL.” And lately, some of them are.