What happened when a YouTuber challenged James Ward-Prowse to a free-kick challenge

Two YouTubers decided to take part in a free-kick challenge with Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse and test if he's the world's best.

The 28-year-old has scored an astonishing 16 direct free-kicks in the Premier League since making his debut in 2012.

He's regarded as one of the best dead-ball specialists around right now, with England legend David Beckham even paying tribute to his skills last year.

To put it simply, Ward-Prowse has a knack for free-kicks. It's a skill that few manage to perfect in their professional careers. What could ChrisMD and Miniminter do against him, though?

The duo decided to team up and face Ward-Prowse in a game of 'KICKS'. It's a simple concept. Whenever you miss or have a free-kick saved and the person after you scores, you lose a letter. Five misses and that's game over.

Throughout the game, Ward-Prowse discussed his set piece technique and how often he actually practices. Everyone started to take note of his talents around this time last year.

While 2-0 down against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Saints received a free-kick from a distance. Ward-Prowse stepped up and sent a spectacular effort flying past a helpless Jose Sa.

Southampton ended up losing the game but everyone was talking about Ward-Prowse. He admitted: "You know what that was? A pure head loss. We were losing the game, I couldn't cross it from that position, I couldn't take my normal one. I just decided to whack it."

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The Southampton skipper nets his first free-kick but then has his second tipped onto the post thanks to a fantastic save. Could an upset be on the cards?

Well being honest, no. Ward-Prowse went through the rest of the challenge without losing a life. A deserved winner.

He admitted: "I normally only take 5 or 6 [free-kicks] in training. I don't do loads because I don't want to batter my body and I want to make it game-realistic. If I only take a couple in training, it replicates the pressure you get in a game."

This challenge came about after Chris claimed he'd be better than most Premier League footballers at free-kicks. He did stress that he never said Ward-Prowse, however.

Ward-Prowse has previously revealed his idol in football is Beckham. He even claimed he'd let the Three Lions hero take free-kicks if they ever shared a pitch together.

In an interview with England's official website, he said: "It would be considered a silly answer because he would end up taking all the free-kicks but it would have to be David Beckham.

"He was my role model and idol growing up and to be in the same team as him would take my game to a new level. He would take all the free-kicks but it would still be good to play with him."