Lionel Messi’s Struggles with Penalties: An Analysis

Average. This word, often absent from descriptions of Lionel Messi, aptly characterizes his penalty-taking record. His recent miss against Austria in the World Cup group stage marked his third failure from seven World Cup penalties during regulation time. Messi then set a new record against Egypt by missing another, becoming the first player to miss two non-shootout penalties in one World Cup.

In past tournaments, he missed penalties against Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny and Iceland’s Hannes Thor Halldorsson. When considering Messi’s entire international career, his record is 25 goals from 32 penalty attempts. Including club matches, he scored 116 goals from 150 penalties, resulting in a 77% success rate, slightly below average for elite players.

Messi’s Penalty Misses: A Surprising Statistic

Analyzing why Messi, arguably the greatest player ever with eight Ballon d’Or titles and four Champions League trophies, struggles with penalties is complex. While he excels in scoring and assisting, his penalty record raises questions. Comparatively, this situation resembles a basketball player with outstanding three-point shooting but mediocre free-throw accuracy.

Examining the Left-Footed Myth

A common belief suggests left-footed players are less reliable penalty takers than right-footed players. Statistically, this isn’t true. The rarity of left-footed players (approximately one in five footballers) means they take fewer penalties, providing goalkeepers with less experience predicting their shots.

Messi has relied on penalties since his early career. In the 2005 under-20 World Cup final, he scored two penalties against Nigeria. On both occasions, he sent the ball casually into opposite corners, deceiving the goalkeeper completely.

Tactics and Misses at Recent World Cups

Messi often takes the first penalty in Argentina’s shootouts, scoring seven out of nine attempts. Misses came in the 2016 Copa America final loss to Chile and 2024 Copa America semi-final against Ecuador.

Specific issues arise when analyzing his recent miss against Austria. During the match, Messi faced Alexander Schlager in Texas. With more than five minutes to consider his shot due to a VAR review, Messi’s strategy involved a short run-up followed by a pause, attempting to draw Schlager into committing early. Schlager stayed firm, leading to Messi’s awkward wide shot.

“I was angry,” Messi told reporters. “I hit it very badly.”

The Penalty Execution Challenge

According to penalty expert Geir Jordet, Messi often relies on a goalkeeper-dependent penalty style. During the approach, he watches the goalkeeper to decide his shot direction, similar to styles used by players like Jorginho, Robert Lewandowski, and Harry Kane. This method leaves him vulnerable if the goalkeeper reacts late, impacting his shot precision.

Messi varies his penalty approach frequently, lacking a signature style. While Harry Kane often opts for a consistent, mid-height powerful shot, Messi switches between instep and laces finishes, contributing to his unpredictability.

Recent Performance and Adaptation

At the last World Cup, Messi scored six out of seven penalties. His strategies varied, adapting his execution in response to each scenario. Against Netherlands and France, he waited for the goalkeepers to move before shooting to the opposite side.

However, Messi’s approach did not involve a standard routine during his key penalty against Croatia. Despite the goalkeeper diving the right way, Messi’s shot reached the net’s roof, demonstrating a blend of pace and height.

His instinctive decision-making doesn’t always align with trained penalty routines, reflecting in attempts like his miss against Wojciech Szczesny earlier in the tournament.

Messi’s Early Career and Evolving Techniques

Early in his career, Messi opted for low, calmly executed penalties. Over time, his techniques evolved to include deceleration steps and harder-hit shots, often selecting right-side shots. These choices require strategic predictions, affecting goalkeepers’ reading abilities.

Incorporating Panenkas, Messi added another dimension to his game. Antonin Panenka, originator of the chipped penalty, praised Messi’s technique. Notably, Messi’s attempted Panenka against Ecuador in the Copa America saw him hit the crossbar.

Throughout his career, each year with multiple penalties brings at least one missed attempt, highlighting an ongoing challenge. Remarkably, despite these struggles, Messi continues to achieve significant milestones, such as becoming the all-time men’s World Cup top scorer. Even the greatest players have weaknesses, underscoring that penalties remain Messi’s Achilles’ heel.