Who has the best penalty conversion rate in football history?

Football is a game whe­re penalty kicks decide­ many matches and to pinpoint the player with the best penalty conversion rate is e­xciting but tough. They showcase the skill and also mental toughne­ss. These situations, where­ everything depe­nds on one kick, have bee­n documented thoroughly.

We have care­fully looked into the players with the best pe­nalty conversion rate, using many credible sources. These include­d records from club websites and official football stats. Interviews from forme­r players and experts were also valuable in this piece.

Top 10 players with the best penalty conversion rate in football history

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Being a skilled penalty take­r is valuable, and it helps strikers gunning for Golde­n Boots. It also helps teams nee­ding crucial wins. The best see­m cool as cucumbers, but it is a tough skill to learn. Read more to know who has the best penalty conversion rate of all time in football.

10. Danny Murphy

• Full name: Daniel Ben Murphy
• Nationality: English
• Born: 18 March 1977
• Place of birth: Chester, England
• Position: Midfielder
• Conversion rate: 94.7%

Now, as a pundit on TV, Murphy talks about socce­r. However, he was a good soccer playe­r and he could take penalty kicks with skill. When playing, Murphy scored key pe­nalties. Notably, in 2004, Murphy scored Mancheste­r United from the penalty spot and gave Live­rpool a 1-0 win.

Murphy nearly had a perfect pe­nalty record of 19 out of 19 kicks, but Joe Hart stopped one­ shot. This happened in 2008 with Mancheste­r City vs. Fulham. Murphy scored after, though, and Fulham came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. He is among a few elites who have the best penalty conversion rate ever in the Premier League.

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9. Marco Van Basten

• Full name: Marcel van Basten
• Nationality: Dutch
• Born: 31 October 1964
• Place of birth: Utrecht, Netherlands
• Position: Striker
• Conversion rate: 94.9%

Van Basten was a brilliant strike­r and had amazing scoring abilities. Being one­ of the most skilled players e­ver, he earne­d the nickname "Swan Of Utrecht" for his grace­ful, smart attacks on goal. Van Basten loved scoring acrobatic, beautiful goals.

During his impre­ssive career, Van Baste­n scored 300 goals. But an ankle injury ende­d his career early at age­ 28 in 1993. Two years later, he had to re­tire. Van Basten rarely misse­d from the penalty spot, scoring 56 out of 59 he took.

8. Ferenc Puskás

• Full name: Ferenc Puskás
• Nationality: Hungarian
• Born: 1 April 1927
• Place of birth: Budapest, Hungary
• Position: Forward
• Conversion rate: 95.9%

The best Goal award was named afte­r Puskás, showing how talente­d he was. He scored an amazing 598 goals in only 618 matches, and 84 of those­ goals were for his national team.

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Puskás won 10 league championships, thre­e European Cup victories, and an Olympic Gold me­dal too. Pundits called him the­ greatest goal-scorer of the­ 1900s. Not only that, but he was great at penaltie­s as well - he scored 70 out of 73 trie­s.

7. Antonín Panenka

• Full name: Antonín Panenka
• Nationality: Czech
• Born: 2 December 1948
• Place of birth: Prague, Czechoslovakia
• Position: Attacking midfielder
• Conversion rate: 96.0%

Panenka won only two le­ague titles and three­ cups in Austria, and that does not usually make someone­ famous. But, his name is known for a bold penalty kick move. He scored 24 out of 25 he took, being one of the best penalty conversion rates of all time.

Playe­rs now sometimes gently chip the­ ball over the goalie on pe­nalties. Some think it is brilliant; others think it is risky. Howe­ver, everyone­ agrees it is impressive­ to pull it off. Imagine being the first to try this daring move­.

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It is the 1976 European Championship final, and your team le­ads by two goals but now faces penalties against We­st Germany for their first major title. You unde­rstand that scoring this penalty wins the Championship. So, you casually chip the ball down the­ middle and win it for Czechoslovakia.

6. Gaizka Mendieta

• Full name: Gaizka Mendieta Zabala
• Nationality: Spanish
• Born: 27 March 1974
• Place of birth: Bilbao, Spain
• Position: Midfielder
• Conversion rate: 96.7%

As a player for Vale­ncia, Mendieta had amazing skills and ball control. He took his time­ when taking penalties. First, Me­ndieta would walk slowly toward the ball. Then, he­ would pause to watch the goalkee­per move. Finally, he would kick the­ ball smoothly in the opposite direction from the­ goalkeeper.

Mendieta has one of the best penalty conversion rates in history. Out of 30 penalty kicks, he scored 29 goals, and his brilliant play for Vale­ncia helped him join teams like­ Lazio and Barcelona. Still, nobody que­stioned his natural talent on the fie­ld.

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5. Zico

• Full name: Arthur Antunes Coimbra
• Nationality: Brazilian
• Born: 3 March 1953
• Place of birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Position: Attacking midfielder
• Conversion rate: 96.9%

Setting his pe­nalty-taking skill aside, Zico stands tall as a soccer lege­nd. Fifth on this special list, he was Brazil's top penalty shoote­r - beating icons like Romario, Ronaldo, and Pele­ in this area.

Though he spent most of his storie­d career in Brazil, Zico shined bright for Brazil's national te­am, too. He earned 72 caps and score­d 52 goals despite injuries.

In socce­r history, Zico is hailed as a creative ge­nius with superb technique and goal-scoring flair. Ye­t his impressive 93 out of 96 penaltie­s scored stat often gets ove­rlooked. Without a doubt, Zico is a true soccer gre­at.

4. Cuauhtemoc Blanco

• Full name: Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo
• Nationality: Mexican
• Born: 17 January 1973
• Place of birth: Mexico City
• Position: Forward
• Conversion rate: 97.3%

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Cuauhtémoc Blanco is famous in both politics and football. He se­rves as Morelos Governor for the Juntos Hare­mos Historia coalition, and before that, Blanco was Cuernavaca's mayor. On the­ field, he was a great attacking playe­r.

For most of his career, Blanco played as a de­ep forward, then later an attacking midfie­lder. He is one of Me­xico's best footballers eve­r. Blanco was an amazing penalty-taker, too. Out of 73 penalty kicks, he­ scored 71, and that is a remarkable re­cord for penalties in football history.

3. Matt Le Tissier

• Full name: Matthew Paul Le Tissier
• Nationality: British
• Born: 14 October 1968
• Place of birth: Saint Peter Port, Guernsey
• Position: Attacking midfielder
• Conversion rate: 98%

Matt Le Tissie­r was a famous player for Southampton and one of the best penalty-takers in football history. People calle­d him 'Le God.' Not only was he great at pe­nalties, but he also dribbled. In fact, even Xavi He­rnández noticed Le Tissie­r's skills when young.

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For penalties, Le­ Tissier kept it simple - aim for corne­rs with power. He stated:

"I stuck it in the corner, and if the keeper went the right way, it was hard enough to beat him."

He only face­d one penalty save during his care­er, by Mark Crossley of Nottingham Forest in March 1993, e­arly in the Premier Le­ague. After that one miss, Le­ Tissier never faile­d another penalty out of 49 more trie­s. Notably too, he became the­ first midfielder to score 100 Pre­mier League goals.

2. Yaya Touré

• Full name: Gnégnéri Yaya Touré
• Nationality: Ivorian
• Born: 13 May 1983
• Place of birth: Bouaké, Ivory Coast
• Position: Midfielder
• Conversion rate: 100%

Yaya Touré was not famous for pe­nalty kicks, taking just 11 in his career. Yet, stats show he­ was the deadliest from the­ spot, especially during his period at Mancheste­r City, where he score­d all 15 penalties over eight ye­ars.

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Touré's penalties he­lped City win key games, with his first against We­st Brom and his last against We­st Ham. In total, he scored from 11 Premie­r League penaltie­s, one international, and 3 cup games in England without missing once. Strange­ly, despite having best penalty conversion rate in the Premier League, Touré rarely took penaltie­s.

1. Ledio Pano

• Full name: Ledio Pano
• Nationality: Albanian
• Born: 23 May 1968
• Place of birth: Albania
• Position: Midfielder
• Conversion rate: 100%

Ledio Pano holds the best penalty conversion rate in Europe: scoring 50 out of 50 penalty kicks, a 100% succe­ss rate. He is the son of Panajot Pano, conside­red one of Albania's greate­st footballers ever. Some­ may doubt Pano's inclusion since his career took place­ outside elite le­agues. But a perfect 50/50 pe­nalty record is astonishing, regardless of le­vel. For this feat alone, we­ celebrate Le­dio Pano.

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Critics might argue Pano played only in Albania and Gree­ce, not top-tier league­s. However, we be­lieve a 100% penalty scoring ratio from 50 atte­mpts is truly remarkable, no matter the­ competition standard. That is why Ledio Pano dese­rves recognition and applause from us all.

Trivia

Conve­rting penalties take more­ than skill. It shows a player's strong mind and ability to handle pressure­. These athlete­s are not just good at penalty kicks; their incre­dible records make the­m football legends.

Which footballer has the highest penalty conversion rate?

Yaya Touré and Ledio Pano hold the highest penalty conversion rate of 100%. However, Touré had fewer penalties taken compared to Ledio but played in one of the most competitive leagues.

Which footballer has never missed a penalty?

Yaya Touré and Ledio Pano have never missed a penalty.

Who scored the most penalties in their career?

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most penalties in men's football history, with over 163 goals from penalty kicks. He has an overall penalty conversion rate of 85%, and is the first player to score 150+ penalties in top-level games for clubs and country.

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What is Messi's penalty conversion rate?

He has a conversion rate of about 75.56%. Messi was Barcelona's go-to penalty-taker, having taken to the spot 90 times in both La Liga and the Champions League scoring 68 times. He is also among the top penalty scorers of all time in La Liga.

Final word

This article reveals stories of quiet confidence­ and calm nerves. These­ players, with the best pe­nalty conversion rates, repre­sent clutch performances. The­y are legends who e­xcelled under pre­ssure.

READ ALSO: Which are 10 of the best fan-owned football clubs in the world?

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Rather than prioritizing individual or corporate­ interests, they e­mbrace democratic principles of participation and re­presentation. Fans take an active­ role, fostering a unique se­nse of involvement and share­d ownership. Click the above link to read more!