Lionel Messi’s recent penalty miss for Inter Miami, attempted in the Panenka style, marked his 32nd penalty failure in his career. This event prompts a comparison of his penalty record against Cristiano Ronaldo’s. Both players have been at the forefront of football for approximately 20 years, consistently leading their respective clubs and national teams and taking the majority of penalty kicks. Cristiano Ronaldo, who took over penalty duties at Real Madrid, has taken 210 penalties, scoring 177 and missing 33, translating to an 84.29% success rate across his career at Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr, and for Portugal. Messi, who took over penalty duties from Ronaldinho at Barcelona in 2008 and later for Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami, and Argentina, has taken 145 penalties, scoring 113 and missing 32, with a 77.93% success rate. Furthermore, Messi’s miss broke a lengthy period without a penalty miss in regular gameplay, stretching back nearly three years.
