Lionel Messi's penalty kick record assessed after World Cup challenges
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 22, 2026, 5:18 PM
Last updated Jun 22, 2026
Lionel Messi has scored 116 of his 149 penalties throughout his career, achieving a success rate of 77.9%. Despite his significant contributions, he has missed critical penalties in major tournaments, including a miss in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final and the recent quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup against Colombia. Additionally, he missed a penalty in the 2026 World Cup group stage match against Austria. Analysis shows Messi's penalty-taking ability is below the average expected success rate of 80%. Going forward, improvement in this area could further solidify his legacy as one of the greatest players in history.
- •Messi has a 77.9% success rate on penalties for club and country.
- •He missed key penalties in the 2016 and 2026 Copa America.
- •Messi missed a penalty in the 2026 World Cup against Austria.
- •Average professionals are expected to score at an 80% rate.
- •Messi admits difficulty in improving his penalty-taking success.
- 5:37 PMYahoo Sports — Lionel Messi misses penalty kick with a chance to break the World Cup scoring record with Argentina
- 5:18 PMYahoo Sports — Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after World Cup miss
"Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick in the ninth minute of Argentina's match against Austria on Monday, after a video review set up the possibility of him breaking the World Cup scoring record. Messi's left-footed kick went just wide of the right post, leaving him at 16 goals and even with Germany striker Miroslav Klose for the most in the World Cup. Messi is now 4 of 7 on penalty kicks in regulation play at the World Cup with with misses in three consecutive tournaments.
"Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all-time, but does his record from the penalty spot stack up to the other world-class aspects of his game?
Sources
External links- Yahoo SportsJun 22, 2026, 5:37 PMLionel Messi misses penalty kick with a chance to break the World Cup scoring record with Argentina
Lionel Messi missed a penalty kick in the ninth minute of Argentina's match against Austria on Monday, after a video review set up the possibility of him breaking the World Cup scoring record. Messi's left-footed kick went just wide of the right post, leaving him at 16 goals and even with Germany striker Miroslav Klose for the most in the World Cup. Messi is now 4 of 7 on penalty kicks in regulation play at the World Cup with with misses in three consecutive tournaments.
- Yahoo SportsJun 22, 2026, 5:18 PMLionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after World Cup miss
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all-time, but does his record from the penalty spot stack up to the other world-class aspects of his game?
Original reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days- Soccer•Jun 22, 2026, 6:45 PMRangers Want To Add Czech International For £5M This Summer: Right Or Wrong Move?
- EPL•Jun 22, 2026, 6:44 PMMan City close to Enzo Maresca appointment after talks with Chelsea
- Soccer•Jun 22, 2026, 6:39 PMFrance-Iraq could be delayed by a thunderstorm!
Soccer•Jun 22, 2026, 6:37 PMFoyle Sportsound- EPL•Jun 22, 2026, 6:35 PMNicolas Jackson set to stay and fight for his Chelsea future
- Serie A•Jun 22, 2026, 6:35 PMAtalanta want Gaetano, as Cagliari approach Inter for Asllani
