As of June 22, 2026, Lionel Messi has taken 149 penalties in open play throughout his career, scoring 116 and missing 32, which equates to a success rate of 77.9%. This rate is slightly below the 80% expected for average professional players and falls short of rivals like Cristiano Ronaldo, who boasts an 83% success rate. Messi himself has acknowledged his struggles, stating that he wants to improve his penalty-taking, but finds it difficult to replicate game pressure in training.
Messi's penalty record in the World Cup is particularly notable. He has taken the most penalties (7) of any player in World Cup history and also missed the most (3). His missed penalties include against Iceland in 2018, Poland in 2022, and a recent miss against Austria in the 2026 World Cup, making him the only player to miss penalties in three different World Cup tournaments. These misses have occurred in significant moments, although his crucial penalty in the 2022 World Cup final against France helped secure the title.
Experts attribute Messi's inconsistencies to his varied techniques, particularly a delayed run-up where he watches the goalkeeper, leading to a loss of precision. Unlike players with a consistent approach, Messi often changes his method, which can result in less predictable outcomes. His quick shots after the whistle, especially early in his career, have also been linked to lower conversion rates due to potential nervousness. He recently admitted to kicking a penalty "very badly" after a miss against Austria, confirming the impact of his technique.
While his open-play penalty record is a point of contention, Messi has shown better performance in penalty shootouts. He has largely been successful in shootouts for Argentina, even scoring in all three shootouts during one period despite the team losing one of them. He has only missed two shootout penalties in his career, one in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final and another in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinal, both in crucial matches.
Ultimately, Messi's "spotty" record from the penalty spot is presented as a rare aspect of his game that highlights his human fallibility despite his legendary status. Despite many attempts, and admitting to being angry at himself for misses, his overall success rate from the spot remains a topic of discussion among fans and analysts.
