Eddy Piñeiro stepped back into an “L” formation, aligning his body in perfect position, ready to fire the ball through the uprights once the snap came. With the game knotted at 17, the crowd in Munich, Germany, was on its feet, waiting to see if Piñeiro and the Panthers could secure their third win of the season. Getting the chance to score the final points at Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich, must have felt like a full-circle moment for the kicker, whose journey to the NFL began on the soccer pitch.

Eddy Piñeiro’s journey to the NFL began with his father, Eddy Sr., who immigrated from Cuba at the age of nine. Once in the USA, Eddy Sr. became a standout on the soccer field, eventually becoming a professional player for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. For Eddy Jr., the apple didn’t fall far from the tree when it came to excelling at soccer. In high school, he was a four-time All-Dade County selection. In his senior year, Piñeiro began handling kickoffs and extra points for his football team, but he saw soccer as a way to secure a college education.

“My parents didn’t have too much money. I worked in soccer really, really hard to try and get a scholarship because I knew that was the only way I was going to go to a university,” he told FloridaGators.com.

The Swamp

After high school, Piñeiro accepted a scholarship to play at FAU, but ultimately ended up at SAS Junior College in Hialeah, Florida. There, he played soccer and also served as the football team’s place kicker. While at SAS, Piñeiro really honed his kicking skills, going viral for hitting field goals over 70 yards in practice. After a little more than a year of training, Piñeiro attended an open tryout for Alabama, where he received an offer from legendary head coach Nick Saban, but ultimately decided to play college football at the University of Florida.

In an interview with Greater Than The Game, Piñeiro reflected on his incredible journey to the University of Florida, where he would make his first-ever in-game field goal. Check it out below.

College Success

As a member of the Gators, Piñeiro thrived, finishing his career with an 88.4% field goal conversion rate, which is the best in program history for any kicker with more than 35 attempts. He also tied the school record for most consecutive field goals in school history. In 2018, he declared for the draft, playing for the Bears, Jets, and Panthers.

On Sunday, November 10th, 2024, Piñeiro drilled the game-winning kick in Munich. This was his 101st made field goal out of 113 attempts, giving him an 89.38% made field goal percentage. A week later, this percentage surpassed the great Justin Tucker, whose percentage fell to 89.35% after he missed two field goals against the Steelers. It is worth noting that Tucker has more career attempts and field goals made, but Piñeiro now holds the title for the most accurate kicker of all time.

After hearing the news of his newly minted title, Piñeiro paid homage to Tucker, one of the best to ever do it.

“I would definitely rather get it by hitting a kick or something, obviously not on somebody else’s downfall,” Piñeiro told reporters. “But at the end of the day, Justin Tucker is the greatest of all time. From the amount of kicks that he’s kicked and I’ve kicked, he’s kicked four times the amount of kicks that I’ve kicked. And to stay at that level, him being a seven-time Pro Bowler, I mean, there’s no question: He’s the greatest of all time.”

The Message

In just a few years, Eddy Piñeiro went from a soccer player handling kickoffs for his high school team to a Division 1 starter at the University of Florida. Six years later, he has become the most accurate kicker in NFL history. His journey is proof that we are not stuck on one path; we can change careers, reimagine our goals, and succeed—all we need is the right attitude. His message to others:

“Stay positive and work hard—that’s the best advice I can give! Just don’t quit!”

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