Scoring penalties may look easy, but the pressure before kicking the ball makes it an absolutely difficult task. Over the years, football has produced some of the best penalty-takers, who have scored more than 100 goals from the spot.
Source: Getty Images
A player must have steel nerves and a lion's heart to score from the spot. It takes courage and confidence to master the art of penalty-taking. However, to some, it is more of guesswork and mind games with the goalkeeper.
Who is the highest penalty scorer?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for scoring the most penalty goals in football history. The Man United forward has found the back of the net 145 times from the spot.
Player | Country | Penalty Goals |
Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 145 |
Lionel Messi | Argentina | 103 |
Francesco Totti | Italy | 86 |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | 84 |
Alessandro Del Piero | Italy | 77 |
Alan Shearer | England | 72 |
Ronaldinho | Brazil | 70 |
Frank Lampard | England | 60 |
Edinson Cavani | Uruguay | 58 |
Sergio Aguero | Argentina | 48 |
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Who scored the most penalty goals, Messi or Ronaldo?
Many people often debate about the player with the most penalty goals, between Messi and Ronaldo. However, the Argentine has netted 103 spot-kicks as of 11 October 2022, 42 goals less than the Portuguese star. Below is an updated list of the top 10 highest penalty scorers the world has witnessed.
10. Sergio Aguero
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The legendary Argentine and Manchester City striker is the 10th-best player with the most penalty goals in football. Aguero was a prolific scorer and one of the best no.9s of his generation.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 62
- Scored: 48
- Teams: Indipendiente, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, Argentina.
- Year: 2003-2021
9. Edinson Cavani
Source: Getty Images
Cavani has played in top European leagues such as Serie A, Ligue 1, the Premier League, and La Liga. He has scored plenty of goals, including penalties.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 72
- Scored: 58
- Teams: Danubio, Palermo, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Valencia, Uruguay
- Year: 2005-date
8. Frank Lampard
The Chelsea legend is one of the highest goal-scoring midfielders of all time. Lampard played as a box-to-box midfielder and was a good penalty-taker. He only missed 10 times from the spot kick.
- Position: Midfielder
- Total penalties: 70
- Scored: 60
- Teams: West Ham United, Chelsea, Manchester City, New York City, England
- Career: 1995-2016
7. Ronaldinho
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Gaucho became a household name and fan favourite because of his magical ability. Besides bending free kicks into the net, Ronaldinho also scored penalties with ease.
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Total penalties: 87
- Scored: 70
- Teams: Grêmio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, AC Milan, Flamengo, Atlético Mineiro, Querétaro, Fluminense, Brazil
- Career: 1998-2015
6. Alan Shearer
Talk about the player with the most penalty goals in the Premier League. Shearer netted 56 times from the spot in the league. He is also the all-time top scorer in the English topflight with 260 goals.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 77
- Scored: 72
- Teams: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, England
- Career: 1988-2006
5. Alessandro Del Piero
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The Juventus legend scored 77 times from the spot during his career. Del Piero is also Juventus's all-time top scorer with 290 goals and one of the leading scorers in the history of Serie A.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 92
- Scored: 77
- Teams: Padova, Juventus, Sydney FC, Delhi Dynamos, Italy
- Career: 1991-2014
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Source: Getty Images
The self-anointed football 'lion' has defied expectations throughout his career. Zlatan still plays in a top European club (AC Milan) at 40. However, he has missed 17 penalties from 101 opportunities.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 101
- Scored: 84
- Teams: Malmö FF, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Sweden
- Career: 1999-date
3. Francesco Totti
Source: Getty Images
Totti is AS Roma legend and the third player with the most penalty goals in football. He is the only one-club player on the list, having netted 86 times from the spot during his career. Totti also played for the Italian national football team.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 106
- Scored: 86
- Teams: AS Roma, Italy
- Career: 1993-2017
2. Lionel Messi
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Leo is second on the list after converting 103 chances from the spot. He is widely considered the best player ever in football. However, the Argentine and PSG star has missed the most penalties in history.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 135
- Scored: 105
- Teams: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina
- Career: 2004-date
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Source: Getty Images
The Portuguese star holds the record for netting the most goals from the spot in this century. He is also second among the players who have missed the most penalties. Ronaldo became the first footballer to reach 700 goals after scoring for Manchester United in a 2-1 home win over Everton on 9 October 2022.
- Position: Striker
- Total penalties: 174
- Scored: 145
- Teams: Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Portugal.
- Career: 2002-present
Who has scored the most penalty goals in a season?
Cr7 also has the record for the most penalty goals scored in a league season. Ronaldo converted 12 opportunities from the spot in the 2011-12 and 2019-20 seasons. Others are Messi (10) in the 2011-12 season and Jorginho (10) in 2021.
Most penalty goals in UCL
Ronaldo has also scored the most goals from the spot in the Champions League (19), followed by Messi (18) and Robert Lewandowski (16) as of 11 October 2022.
Player | UCL penalties scored |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 19 |
Lionel Messi | 18 |
Robert Lewandowski | 16 |
Ruud Van Nistelrooy | 11 |
Sergio Aguero | 11 |
Luís Figo | 10 |
Rivaldo | 8 |
Jorginho | 8 |
Thomas Müller | 8 |
Steven Gerard | 7 |
Source: Getty Images
What are the most penalty goals missed by a player?
The highest number of penalties a footballer has ever missed is 30 (Lionel Messi). The Argentine has even faced criticism from fans in the past after failing to convert crucial opportunities from the spot. Other stars who also missed the net from the spot are:
- Cristiano Ronaldo - 29
- Francesco Totti - 20
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 17
- Ronaldinho - 17
- Antonio Di Natale - 15
- Edinson Cavani - 14
- Wayne Rooney -14
- Sergio Aguero - 14
- Frank Lampard - 10
Most penalties scored in a game
In March 2022, Washington FC and Bedlington Terriers played 140 minutes and recorded 54 penalties in the shootouts before the winner was decided in Sunderland. The game ended 3-3 in normal and extra time, paving way for post-match penalties. Washington won the match 25-24, beating the previous world record of 48, set in Namibia in 2005.
Ronaldo's record of the most penalty goals in the history of the game could stand for many years unless Messi steps up his game. Perhaps the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will rise and beat the stats.
READ ALSO: Ranking the 20 most influential footballers of this decade
Sportsbrief.com recently compiled a list of the 20 most influential footballers of this decade. These players have performed remarkably for their club and country. According to publications on the internet, many former and current football players are considered extraordinary.
Currently, Ronaldo and Messi stand out as the most influential among the rest. Follow the above link to find out about other players on the list.
