The 1-29 Best Android apps everyone must try out (Complete Guide edition)

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Android apps are everywhere. Not every Android app is worth your time.

If there is one app resource that is literally brimming with selection then that is Google Play store.

However, not all of the apps available there are worth everyone’s time.

Here is a list of the best Android apps that Android users need to download and use in order to make the most out of their Android tablet or phone.

Currently, the official Google Play Store is offering around 2.6 million apps.

That number is truly staggering.

Of course, with such a huge number of Android apps available on just a single platform, it can become rather challenging for a given Android user to determine which Android app is worth a look or a download.

Readers need fear not:

Security Gladiators has gone out in the market (that is, Google Play Store) and have searched it and have picked out the absolute best 100 Android apps for anyone’s Android phone.

The list is organized into a collection of applications that fall into their own categories such as utilities, security, and productivity along with many more.

This will it will become easier for users to find out exactly which app they need for their Android device.

Each given application name will also have a link to the official page of Google Play Store.

The other thing readers should note here is that, Security Gladiators has stayed away from including any games in this 100 best Android apps roundup.

For Android users who want to read up, that should stay tuned to Security Gladiators as we come up with the best Android video games.

We are aware of the fact that some new Android users might find the prospect of reading through the 100 best Android apps a bit overwhelming, to say the least, right off the bat.

For such readers, we are in the process of preparing a 10 best Android apps list as well.

However, this guide will cover everything that a basic Android user should know.

Then there is the small problem of price.

Some Android users may not have a heavy wallet at the time of reading this post.

They should know that we have tried our best to make sure that a lot of Android apps on this list come for free.

Now, before selecting the best Android apps, there are a couple of things that one must keep in mind.

The first of those things is functionality.

And the other one is design.

Android apps that excel in both these areas are the ones that qualify as the best Android apps.

But what is a functional Android app?

It is an Android app which either works better than all the other competitors it has and/or has unique capabilities that users cannot find in any of the other Android apps in the same category.

Needless to say, Android apps that have a great design provide the benefit of ‘joy’ to their Android users.

This is where Android P managed to introduce a decent range of app-specific enhancements.

That is why those apps which have prioritized the use of new features in the system score more points.

Android apps that reflect all the latest and the greatest visual styles also get more points than those that don’t.

In the end, each and every Android app mentioned on this list offers excellent performance and features in its own way.

When taken as a whole, we think our collection provides readers and Android users a snapshot of the best Android apps that Google Play Store has to offer to Android users at the time of writing this report.

Of course, there is always a chance that we might have missed an excellent app or your favorite app.

In that case, readers should make sure that they let us know via the comments section.

We will try to do our best in keeping the list as current as possible and may even take into consideration the suggestions made via the comments section into our next list update.

So the fourteen categories of Android apps that we have taken into consideration are,

  • Best Android Workplace apps
  • Best Android Video streaming apps
  • Best Android Utility apps
  • Best Android Travel apps
  • Best Android Shopping apps
  • Best Android Security apps
  • Best Android News and Reading apps
  • Best Android Photos apps
  • Best Android Productivity Apps
  • Best Android Podcast Apps
  • Best Android Fitness and Health Apps
  • Best Android Food Apps
  • Best Android Communications Apps
  • Best Android Browser Apps

Best Android Web Browser Apps

Dolphin

Cost: Free

Our research is clear:

Dolphin web browser is a modern, tabbed and clean web browser.

It manages to deliver an excellent and beneficial user experience on the Android platform.

In fact, it almost finds a 100 percent success rate in making the user forget that he/she is making use of a web browser on an Android mobile device.

Not only that, Dolphin also has support for LastPass and offers tight integration for online services such as Evernote.

The available settings are pretty robust as well.

Most reviewers of the Dolphin web browser consider its features feature as its greatest feature.

Our research shows that the gesture feature may not be Dolphin’s most efficient feature.

Of course, that should not lead anyone away from the fact that the feature is cool as features come.

Moreover, Dolphin also offers full support for web technologies such as Flash and can integrate ad-blocking features as well.

It is here that perhaps we should remind users that they should only make use of and/or enable Flash if and when they absolutely have to.

Firefox

Cost: Free

Mozilla Firefox has a pretty clean app design and is also lickety-split fast.

A combination which makes using Firefox for daily browsing a joyous experience.

There is now also the Quantum Update which makes Firefox better in almost every department.

Mozilla Firefox has also taken upon itself to make a huge point out of the fact that unlike all the other good mainstream web browsers, the service does not collect any of the user’s data.

Apart from that, the other thing that has caught our attention is that the app now comes with a complete and comprehensive complement of various advanced security settings.

The set includes an option which allows Firefox to protect the user’s information from any and all advertising companies.

There is also a private web browsing mode.

And pretty much like the Mozilla Firefox desktop version, Mozilla Firefox for the mobile platform has a pretty robust and useful selection of add-ons/plug-ins.

Its tab management feature is nothing short of excellent as well.

Additionally, this web browser has a dynamic and modern looking start page to accommodate bookmarks along with the latest and most relevant headlines.

Firefox Focus

Cost: Free

Pretty similar to vanilla Mozilla Firefox, the Mozilla Firefox Focus makes no attempts to track the user’s browsing habits and/or data.

Moreover, it makes it compulsory on itself to delete all of the user’s web history as soon as the user leaves the web browser application.

Not only that, Mozilla Firefox focus even strips away any and all the trackers ad advertisements on a given website.

That results in the web page loading extremely quickly.

In turn, this enables users to get around the majority of article limitations on certain websites and paywalls.

Readers should also consider the fact that Firefox Focus has a minimalist landing homepage.

Apart from that, it has a bright color app scheme because of which the overall app is enjoyable to look at and use.

Therefore, readers and Android users alike should do themselves a favor and make the move of setting Mozilla Firefox Focus as their default web browser especially if they care a lot about their online privacy.

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Opera

Cost: Free

Opera, needless to say, is not as well-used and/or popular as some of the other mainstream web browsers such as Firefox and Google Chrome.

However, there is little doubt about the fact that Opera is a capable web browser.

Almost as capable as any other that we have mentioned so far in this guide as an option or otherwise, when it comes to the Android platform.

The latest version of Opera has a pretty slick design.

The main aim of Opera, as is with all other web browsers, is to become the user’s gateway to all web content.

It comes pre-packed with features such as a built-in brand new news portal feature and Opera’s very own mobile application store.

Apart from that, Opera makes it very easy for users to stick to their data plans with a specially developed compression tool.

Opera even has a software for ad blocking.

Android users who want to keep their online browsing secret and discreet may want to take Opera up on its private web browsing mode offering.

The absolute best Android Communication applications

The official Facebook Messenger

Cost: Free

Of course, the greatest problem with switching mobile messengers or trying out new ones is the one that comes with convincing one’s friends to first sign up and then sign in.

However, the odds here are different.

In other words, there is a good chance that almost all the people that a typical Android user knows already have an account on Facebook.

This situation is pretty handy here for the simple reason that the official Facebook Messenger application for the Android platform is a fantastic one.

The official application is clean, simple and is able to easily handle video and voice calling.

However, for many users already on the Facebook Messenger platform, the gorgeous app stickers are the reason it is the best communications app on the Android platform.

LinkedIn

Cost: Free

The majority of the online consumers probably have a lot of familiarity with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn as an online service which one should only visit in times of extreme desperation.

Typically these times come when someone is laid off and/or even after a day at the office that went so bad that the employee simply decided to not continue to keep taking it anymore.

We’re not saying that isn’t true.

It may still be.

However, the official Linked app has a different aim.

Its main objective is to act as a companion app to the online LinkedIn service that users can check each and every day.

No one can debate the fact that the all-important profile page is still the place to show off one’s work experience and education.

LinkedIn is also a great tool for activities such a networking and headhunting.

However, the official LinkedIn app now offers users various visitor metrics and also a newsfeed in order to give the overall app a more casual and social feel.

Of course, sometimes LinkedIn is the only method with which a person can chat with another businessperson that the first person is looking to form a connection with.

LinkedIn is just like Facebook except that LinkedIn is for grown-ups.

Snapchat

Cost: Free

In the beginning, some felt that Snapchat presented them with something dangerous.

Then came the phase when it became popular with the young and the hip.

All the while, it was utterly baffling to anyone and everyone not using SnapChat.

So what does Snapchat do?

It is a service that users can make use of to quickly snap a photo and then exchange it with one or more of their friends.

The official Snapchat application also has support for video snaps along with video calling as well as the old voice calling.

But there is a catch.

Anything and everything that a given user sends will vanish from existence after just a couple of seconds.

To put it in simpler words, Snapchat presents the online community with an ephemeral and a fun way to experience and share the world that exists around oneself.

Now, the service is even easier to make use of thanks to new updates that enable users to save some of their old snaps and also build new and ongoing public stores.

It seems like the more apps and services among other digital products change, the more these products turn into another version of Facebook.

Signal Private Messenger

Cost: Free

There are a ton of applications and services on the internet that like to pay lip service to issues such as privacy and security.

However, Signal is the one app that developers built right from the ground up for privacy and security.

It allows users to have easy communication with other online users without worrying too much about someone overhearing the conversation.

Our research shows that the Signal app is actually a complete SMS and phone client replacement as well.

Of course, it manages to work perfectly fine as a good standalone Android app as well.

Users can make use of the Signal application for receiving and sending encrypted messages and calls.

Apart from that, a recent Signal update means that the app’s overall feel and look have greatly improved.

The Signal is the Android app that proves usability and security do not really have to stay away from each other.

Twitter Periscope

Cost: Free

A lot of young online consumers may not realize this but online activities such as live stream videos used to take a lot of time and effort.

Some would say it was even painful.

Even when all of the participants were using a desktop computer.

However, applications such as Periscope and Meerkat changed all of that.

There is no doubt that Periscope with Twitter’s blessings is able to allow users to share chat and video with other online users without my effort.

Of course, the best part about this online service is that it saves the user’s Periscopes so that if the user wants to view them later, he/she can.

Periscope does a good job of making sure that things stay fun.

However, if Periscope is to survive then it would have to face some stiff competition from other live streaming services such as the official Facebook app.

WhatsApp Messenger

Cost: Free

We live in a modern world which is rife with ‘new and improved’ messenger applications.

Among the ones that have managed to have to most success is WhatsApp.

WhatsApp currently boasts a gigantic user base that is as dedicated to the service as any.

But WhatsApp is not content.

The messaging service is trying to further cement its position as the world’s best messaging app by adding full web integration to its Android app.

The web version would allow users to go ahead and take their WhatsApp chats to their desktop machines.

Just recently, WhatsApp bolstered its already impressive messaging app by adding encrypted messages to its list of features with the help of some of the best minds behind Signal.

Our research has shown that WhatsApp might have become the biggest secured online messaging service in the market today after the latest round of updates.

Wickr Me

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Cost: Free

Sometimes apps like Signal can come in real handy with their security features.

Other times the most comprehensively secure message is the one which literally does not exist.

How does that work?

Well, at least, that is the official thinking behind this messaging app called Wickr Me.

It is a secure messaging service which is fully encrypted.

The unique thing about this messaging application is that it can handle text messages as well as media messages.

Let’s come to the ‘twist’ part now.

The twist with this service is that users can to decide the lifespan of each of their message.

This, in turn, ensures that the user’s private conversations and other messages stay exactly that:

Private.

Some readers might realize that this is pretty similar to how the other messaging service Snapchat works.

Readers who are still not sold on Wickr Me’s security chops should give a look to the answer that the founder of the company gave to the FBI when the agency came to the service to ask for an exclusive backdoor.

Best Android Apps for Food

Cookpad

Cost: Free

Cookpad is an Android app that connects the user with a reasonably vibrant array of easy-to-understand recipes.

Users have the option of easily adding their favorite recipes.

The app also allows users to manage their shopping lists.

Apart from that, users of this Android app can find totally new recipes that they’ll absolutely love because the app will show them only the ones which are based on the ones that the user already likes.

Once the user starts to make use of this application, he/she would have little excuse to actually eat out (apart from not having time and having tons of money).

Seamless

Cost: Free

Some of our readers might have a strong enough memory to remember the dreaded and bad early days of food ordering services.

These were tough times.

Times where people had to have the takeout menu in order to place their food order.

People also need to have tons and tons of terrains knowledge to know answers to questions such as ‘would the food service even deliver at their location?’

Then, people needed to make sure that they had some cash to actually pay for their food.

And then they needed to have some faith that the food service representative jotting down their food order had enough ability to get their order right.

Apps such as Seamless have everything they need in order to take care of all past annoyances with ordering food.

Seamless even allows users to pay for their food via their credit card right from their Android device.

There is one drawback to this device though:

It does not operate in all cities.

Users have to first know if the app is actually available for their city.

Not only that, users also have to know if the app is even available in their state because Seamless, currently, does not operate in every US state.

With that said, it is true that the app has worked hard to make sure that it expands its range in a timely fashion and at a dramatic scale.

When compared to how much area this app covered when it started, we feel that Seamless has made considerable progress.

Yelp

Cost: Free

No one needs any convincing that it more or less pays to be slightly skeptical of reviews which are crowd-sourced.

However, Yelp has the ability to tell the user a lot more stuff about what people had felt and thought of a restaurant, hotel, eatery or pretty much any and all other places where people can go and spend money on something.

There are a ton of locations that list out their menus, contact information and/or hours of operation on Yelp.

This makes it very easy for users to find the absolute perfect eating/hanging/talking/working sport in their neighborhood and/or a completely new city/area.

Best Android apps for Fitness and Health

Fitbit

Cost: Free

Some of our readers might know the Android app Fitbit from its fairly popular watch-like fitness trackers.

However, the same application which powers all those fitness devices works and operates pretty decently on its own a well.

The official Fitbit app only makes use of the user’s smartphone device (and it assumes that the user’s smartphone device meets the bare minimum requirements in terms of hardware for the app) and then provides users its fitness app-specific features such as the counting of steps along with detailed log activities in order to assist users achieve their daily set goals.

As it turns out, the official Fitbit app also offers users social features that users can take advantage of in order to compete against their friends.

Some consider the official Fitbit app as a completely must-have app in the sense that everyone should have it.

Especially those people who are already Fitbit users.

Of course, even if the user does not have a Fitbit, the app is actually a smart one for them since it kind of pushes the user to have more physical activity in any given day.

The My Asics Runkeeper app

Cost: Free

The majority of the running applications on the Android platform (and otherwise as well) charge users a pretty penny in exchange for allowing them access to their training regimen features.

Of course, since My Asics Runkeeper has made our list, it doesn’t do that.

The case with My Asics Runkeeper is different in the sense that it offers users customized plans.

Available both on the Android and the iPhone platform, this app can accommodate users who are looking to take part in or train for,

  • Marathon runs
  • Half-marathon runs
  • 10-mile
  • 5-mile
  • 10K
  • 5K

The My Asics Runkeeper app is not like the old fitness apps that had a fixed schedule for different users.

In fact, the official My Asics Runkeeper app adjusts the user’s plan by basing its calculations on the user’s running data.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think of this app has the best app which forces users to get off their couch, start the work and then get on the dreamy road to ultimate victory.

MyFitnessPal

Cost: Free

This Android app is essentially an exercise tracker and a calorie counter whose main aim is to not only help users lose weight but also get fit.

It goes about doing that in the old-fashioned way.

In other words, it expects the user to expend more calories than he/he takes in.

And with the help of the app’s smart design combined with arguably an extensive online library of various foods, MyFitnessPal makes the task of quickly logging the number of calories that the user takes in much easier.

It can also record the number of calories that the user burns while he/she exercises.

Most of all, the app allows the user to know the information and the results of his/her efforts in a snap.

The app also comes with a barcode scanner which makes it fairly easy for the user to log that small little snack post workout.

The MyFitnessPal Android app has the added advantage of playing very nice with a good number of other applications so that the user’s data is not tied up to just a single place.

Readers should note here that MyFitnessPal will probably not given them a complete and comprehensive workout regimen.

However, it can and does make the user far more aware of what his/her habits are.

Runtastic PRO

Cost : $4.99

The official Runtastic PRO application is able to do a lot more than simply track the user’s favorite and most-frequent running routes.

This Android app is an excellent fitness application which keeps a track of any and all sorts of beneficial data.

Not only that, it can even return the user maps which are rich in information in order to assist the user to plan out his/her future outings.

Moreover, the Runtastic PRO app features a comprehensively integrated audio player for users who want a seamless and intense workout experience.

Our recommendation is that user should make use of this app for walking, hiking, cycling and all such related tasks.

The best Android apps for Podcast

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Anchor

Cost: Free

Users who have a desire to record their very own podcast should know that Anchor provides one of the best and easiest to start recording one’s own podcast.

The official Anchor app enables users to record on their own and/or with their friends.

It has all the tools that a new user could require to build out his/her entire podcast including episodes without the user ever having to leave his/her smartphone.

Our research shows that Anchor has the ability to perfect each given clip inside the app by implementing some essential but basic audio editing features.

Just recently, Anchor made the official announcement of a monetization program which would be available for all creators on its platform.

Eventbrite

Cost: Free

Assuming there is an event that doesn’t take advantage of Facebook for most of its organization, then there is a good chance it takes advantage of the features that it can access through Eventbrite.

The Eventbrite service does a decent job of making it easy for users to manage RSVPs, invites and even things such as ticket purchasing.

Eventbrite is a service that enables attendees to get timely handy reminders regarding all the events that they may have planned in advance to attend.

It allows organizers to see all their guest lists.

Our research shows that the one feature that sets Eventbrite apart from other Android apps in the same category is its ability to generate QR codes.

QR codes make the process of checking-in at an event a breeze.

Pocket Casts

Cost: $3.99

There is no doubt about the fact that has, for the most part, struggled with supporting podcasts.

Perhaps that is the reason why they are called PODcasts instead of DROIDcasts.

Of course, now the Android platform has Pocket Casts to call for help.

Pocket Casts is actually a highly customizable application which is great for Android users who want to chill out with a nice long episode of their favorite podcast.

The other thing which sets Pocket Casts apart from the rest is the sync feature.

Yes.

It can actually sync the user’s data across different internet-enabled devices so that the user can easily pick up the podcast on another one of his/her devices right where he/she left it on the first device.

If there is a time to actually start listening to a podcast on an Android smartphone, then that time is now and it is with Podcast Casts.

Stitcher

Cost: Free

We’ll admit that Stitcher has a tricky user interface.

However, the great thing about Stitcher is that it has the ability to connect the user with pretty much each and every podcast that is available online.

It organizes podcasts by subject for the most part.

But users can easily search Stitcher to find a similar title.

Other options enable users to organize their shows into playlists so that they can enjoy a continuous stream.

Our recommendation is that once the user has had enough and has exhausted all of his favorite podcasts, it is time to let Stitcher do the heavy work and recommend something completely different and/or new.

Stitcher has placed a special emphasis on podcast sources such as,

  • ESPN
  • CNN
  • NPR

Whatever the user may want to hear, Stitcher has sufficient bits of nearly everything.

Best Android apps for Productivity

Any.do

Cost: Free

If we’re talking about Any.do’s core function then it is simply a list manager.

Users can make use of the official Any.do Android app in order to quickly create their shopping lists and then have Any.do sync it as well with their other internet-enabled devices.

Any.do also provides features with which users can share their list with other users.

The official Any.do Android app can even double up as a decent task manager.

This can keep the user on top of anything and everything that he/she needs to do on the day.

We have little doubt that Any.do is a very capable Android app.

It now sports a lot of features that it did not in the beginning.

However, the one particular feature that has caught our attention is the one which the service calls Any.do Moment.

What is Any.do Moment?

It is a feature which encourages users to just take a couple of seconds and simply review their scheduled plans for the given day.

Of course, providing features that enable users to build lists is one thing but trying to build good and sustainable productivity habits is pretty much quite another.

Evernote

Cost: Free

Our research shows that once users begin to give Evernote its due time, this best-in-class note-taking application has everything it needs to become a very powerful tool for all types of users to organize pretty much anything and everything.

Evernote has the ability to take notes of everything.

Users can store text, audio and/or images or even a mix of all three as notes.

Evernote organizes all of the user’s notes into notebooks.

Perhaps the one killer feature that Evernote offers is the best-in-class optical character recognition.

This makes the text which is present in various images totally searchable.

Combine that with cloud-storage services and Evernote becomes the perfect online tool for anyone looking to organize all the little pieces of a given project, eventually, into its desired finished draft.

IFTTT

Cost: Free

This Android app, IFTTT, actually stands for If This Then That.

It helps users who do not have any kind of coding experience to create different custom automations between their internet-enabled devices and various digital services.

The official IFTTT Android app actually makes it very simple for users to set it up.

Basically, users have to use Applets (which the company previously labeled as Recipes) on their own.

Users who do not want to do that can implement any and all of the Applets that the IFTTT community has created.

Our research shows that the official IFTTT Android app is especially great and beneficial for people who want to control various smart home IoT devices.

The Join Android app

Cost: Free

This Android app is a great option for users who want to pass web addresses, links and/or clipboard data between their internet-enabled devices.

But Join is a great Android app for another reason.

The customization and setup processes are very easy.

Moreover, this Android app goes out of its way to make sure that users have it easy when they want to specify what kind of actions and notifications do they want to be enabled for each of their internet-enabled devices.

The official Join Android app even has the ability to sync the user’s SMS texts to the given dedicated app on Windows 10 and/or the Google Chrome browser.

Join is different from Pushbullet in the sense that it does not demand the user to pay up a monthly subscription fee in order to use all the features the app has to offer.

Users can enjoy Join without paying anything.

We think that its best features are the screen-capture capabilities and the remote screenshot option.

The Mint Android app

Cost: Free

The official Mint Android app is another fantastic service that runs online and keeps a track of the user’s finances.

Our research shows that this app really takes full advantage of what the Android platform has to offer and shines brightly.

Once the user has entered all of his/her required information, he/she has the option of taking advantage of all of this app’s features and check up on his/her finances.

And that too on the fly.

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Users who have a hard time keeping track of their goals should give the Mint app a try because its budget feature does exactly that.

The app also comes with a new and improved bill paying feature which has the job of ensuring that the user never has to miss a single payment ever again.

With that said, we want the uses to make sure that they sufficiently try out all of the app’s very useful widgets.

Todoist

Cost: Free

Users who are big into keeping their life together and organized with the help of various to-do lists should definitely give the official Todoist Android app a try.

This is an Android app that allows users to keep track of all of their tasks that they need to complete before a given date.

Users can avail options using which they can assign each of their given tasks different priorities which in turn are base on the overall significance of the task.

Apart from that, users can even organize his/her tasks across various different projects.

As far as the look and feel of the app go, the general user interface is functional.

The design is as clean as they come.

And it has no problems in working on a variety of different platforms.

Todoist allows any user to get started with listing down tasks in order to help users without asking them for money.

Of course, serious users who want an even more organization feature set should take the plunge and upgrade to the company’s $28.99 per 12-months offer.

The premium plan enables users to create various task labels and set up reminders along with upload files .

Users can also make use of Todois in order to view various productivity tasks.

The Android Turbo Tax Return app

Cost: $59.99

We are all people.

And as people, we all have our needs.

In other words, whether someone lives in the United States of America or in east Malaysia, everyone has a need to, once a year, file their tax returns.

The majority of the people who use a dedicated tax software would have an easier time than those who do not.

Of course, there are those who would still like to do their tax return by hand.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

However, for the more ambitious tax filers and also those who have relatively simple tax returns can save a lot of time by simply using a tax return mobile application.

And the best one at that is Intuit’s TurboTax Tax Return application.

Our research shows that it is the best one when it comes to reviews and ratings.

It has a lot of top features.

But the best features that it offers include a terrific user interface along with support for each and every major tax form.

It also has pretty innovative help features.

There is also the virtual assistant option that open ups whenever the user has reached a sticking point.

The Virtual Assistant does a good job of keeping a current and running dialogue of all the help topics that the user has searched for in the past.

Users also have the option of using the SmartLook feature in order to have video chat help by forming a connection with a tax expert.

Conclusion

This is just the beginning folks.

There are still 71 more best Android apps to go.

To stay tuned to Security Gladiators for the next few weeks.

Zohair A. Zohair is currently a content crafter at Security Gladiators and has been involved in the technology industry for more than a decade. He is an engineer by training and, naturally, likes to help people solve their tech related problems. When he is not writing, he can usually be found practicing his free-kicks in the ground beside his house.
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