Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after World Cup miss

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Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after World Cup miss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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There is no denying that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all time. He has achieved so much success with his clubs and country and dazzled football fans the world over for nearly 20 years with his supreme skill and talent.

Some call him a magician, others laud his football wizardry with the ball, and in his native Argentina he is even lauded as a god.

But, as far as we know, he is still a mortal human, and there just may be one aspect of his game that proves this: his mediocre record from the penalty spot.

Messi scored a crucial spot-kick in the thrilling 2022 World Cup final against France to secure the title, but scoring from 12 yards is always much easier than it looks, especially in penalty shootouts.

There have been a few occasions down the years where Messi hasn't been able to hold his nerve in the crucial moment. The Sporting News looks over every angle of his record from the spot in both open play and shootouts.

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What is Lionel Messi's record on penalty kicks?

Throughout his career Lionel Messi has taken 150 penalties (as of July 7, 2026), scoring 116 and missing 33, leaving him with a success rate of 77.3% when taking penalties for either club or country. This does not count shootout penalties, only those from open play.

Whilst his missed numbers are high because of his long career and the sheer volume of penalties he has taken, there is no denying he has missed penalties in some massive moments.

He missed a penalty in the shootout at the 2016 Copa America Centenario Final against Chile, which Argentina eventually lost, 4-2. Messi was so distraught after the match that he announced that he would be retiring from international football, a decision he reversed soon after.

The Copa America has not been kind to Messi. He once again missed a penalty against Colombia in the 2026 quarterfinals, attempting to chip goalkeeper Alejandro Dominguez but putting it off the crossbar, yet Emiliano Martinez came up big and Argentina would advance regardless.

Despite his success in the Qatar 2022 final against France, he has also missed penalties at World Cups. He missed in 2018 in a match against Iceland that ended in a draw, and even in the current World Cup where Poland's Wojicech Szczesny saved his penalty in their final group stage match, though it didn't affect the result as Argentina won, 2-0.

He missed two penalties in the 2026 World Cup. The first came early in their second group stage match against Austria, while the second came in the knockout round against Egypt. He has taken the most penalties (8) of any player in World Cup history, and missed the most (4) as well. He is the only player to miss penalties at three World Cup tournaments, with his miss against Austria putting him above the two-tournament mark by Asamoah Gyan, and he is also the first player to miss two penalties at a single World Cup.

It now brings Messi's World Cup penalty record to just four converted out of eight total efforts, a disappointing 50% mark on the biggest stage.

Lionel Messi penalty record (open play only)

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us, as of July 7, 2026.

TeamPenalties scoredPenalties missedPercentage of penalties scoredBarcelona852577.3%Paris Saint-German2166.7%Inter Miami4180%Argentina25778.1%Argentina U20s*20100%

* Do not count as part of Messi's senior career tally

Is Lionel Messi good at penalties?

Whilst his record is not the worst in world football, it is not one that fans expect when talking about one of the greatest players of all time. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example has scored 146 of his 175 penalties,  giving him a success rate of 83% from the spot.

Messi himself has admitted in the past that his penalty taking record is not up to standard. In 2018 after he had missed four penalties for club and country, he said in an interview with Catalunya Radio that he found it more difficult to work on his penalty taking than other parts of his game.

"I would like to be more effective from the penalty spot, but it's difficult to work on penalties. It's not the same taking them in training as it is in a game. You can have an idea in your head or something you have worked on, but it's more difficult than it seems.

"The goalkeeper has a lot to do with it, too. If they guess right, they save it. But it's obvious that I'd like to get better at taking penalties."

In general, average professionals are expected to score penalties at an 80 percent rate. This is known since penalties have an xG value of 0.8, and expected goals are based off historical data. Thus, Messi can be considered slightly below average when it comes to scoring penalties.

Lionel Messi penalties missed

Below is the complete list of penalties that Lionel Messi has failed to convert from open play in his career, including the outcome of the match and which goalkeeper he was facing.

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us

MatchDateGoalkeeperOutcomeMinuteScore at timeFinal scoreBarcelona vs. VillarealJan. 31, 2008Diego LopezSaved76'1-01-0Barcelona vs. Benidorm CDNov. 12, 2008Juan Carlos CaballeroSaved86'1-01-0Barcelona vs. Recrativo HuelvaApr. 11, 2009Asier RiesgoSaved81'2-02-0Barcelona vs. PanathinaikosSep. 14, 2010Alexandros TzorvasSaved55'3-15-1Real Betis vs. BarcelonaJan. 19, 2011CastoMissed53'3-13-1Barcelona vs. SevillaOct. 22, 2011Javi VarasSaved90'0-00-0Valenica vs. BarcelonaFeb. 1, 2012Diego AlvesSaved57'1-11-1Barcelona vs. ChelseaApr. 24, 2012Petr CechMissed49'2-12-2Germany vs. ArgentinaAug. 15, 2012Marc-Andre ter StegenSaved32'0-01-3Barcelona vs Atletico MadridAug. 28, 2013Thibaut CourtiosMissed89'0-00-0Barcelona vs. Real BetisApr. 5, 2014Antonio AdanSaved86'3-13-1Levante vs. BarcelonaSep. 21, 2014Jesus FernandezMissed42'0-10-5Brazil vs. ArgentinaOct. 11, 2014JeffersonSaved40'1-02-0Barcelona vs. Atletico MadridJan. 21, 2015Jan OblakSaved85'0-01-0Manchester City vs BarcelonaFeb. 24, 2015Joe HartSaved90'1-21-2Athletic Bilbao vs. BarcelonaAug. 23, 2015Groka IraizozSaved31'0-00-1Barcelona vs. LevanteSep. 20, 2015Ruben MartinezMissed75'3-14-1Barcelona vs. Celta VigoFeb. 14, 2016Sergio AlvarezMissed81'3-16-1Barcelona vs. GetafeMar. 12, 2016Vicente GuaitaSaved11'1-06-0Argentina vs. ChileJun. 26, 2016Claudio BravoMissedShootout0-02-4Barcelona vs. EibarMay 21. 2017Yoel RodriguezSaved70'1-24-2Alaves vs. BarcelonaAug. 26, 2017Fernando PachecoMissed39'0-00-2Barcelona vs. DeportivoDec. 17, 2017Ruben MartinezSaved70'3-04-0Espanyol vs. BarcelonaJan. 17, 2018Diego LopezSaved62'0-01-0Argentina vs. IcelandJun. 16, 2018Hannes Thor HalldorssonSaved64'1-11-1Barcelona vs. Real ValladolidFeb. 16, 2019Jordi MasipSaved85'1-01-0Brazil vs. ArgentinaNov. 15, 2019AlissonSaved13'0-00-1Barcelona vs. ValenciaDec. 19, 2020Jaume DomenechSaved45'1-12-2Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-GermanMar. 10, 2021Keylor NavasSaved45'1-11-1Valencia vs. BarcelonaMay 2, 2021Jasper CillessenSaved57'1-12-3Paris Saint-German vs. Real MadridFeb. 15, 2022Thibaut CourtiosSaved62'0-01-0Poland vs. ArgentinaNov. 30, 2022Wojiech SzczesnySaved39'0-00-2Argentina vs. EcuadorJul. 4, 2024Alejandro DominguezMissedShootout1-11-1Charlotte FC vs. Inter MiamiSep. 14, 2025Kristijan KahlinaSaved32'0-03-0Argentina vs. AustriaJun. 22, 2026Alexander SchlagerMissed9'0-02-0Argentina vs. EgyptJuly 7, 2026Mostafa ShobeirSaved21'0-1TBD

Lionel Messi penalty shootout record

Despite Lionel Messi's spotty penalty record, he has done quite well in shootouts. He has largely been involved in penalty shootouts with his national team, never once taking a shootout penalty with Barcelona and only once with PSG. He gained significant shootout experience with Inter Miami in their cup competitions, winning all three shootouts he took part in during his first season at the club.

In every single one of his shootout appearances, Messi has been the first to take a penalty, as teams deploy a pretty consistent strategy of having their best penalty takers go first in the hopes of establishing a lead and taking the pressure off those who go later.

MORE: Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has an incredible record at saving penalties for Argentina

Messi has only ever missed a shootout penalty twice in his career. The first was the infamous Copa America final against Chile, while the second was the Copa America quarterfinal victory over Ecuador in 2024. Both came on U.S. soil, interestingly. 

The Argentina star has lost four shootouts in his career. The only one which he also missed was that 2016 Copa America final. The other three shootouts in which he suffered defeat, he scored in all three and was thus not partially at fault for the shootout loss.

Penalty shootout data via MessivsRonaldo.app

TeamCompetitionDateOpponentWon/LostMessi wentMessi resultArgentina2011 Copa America QFJul. 16, 2011UruguayLost (5-4)1stScoredArgentina2014 World Cup SFJul. 9, 2014NetherlandsWon (4-2)1stScoredArgentina2015 Copa America QFJun. 26, 2015ColombiaWon (5-4)1stScoredArgentina2015 Copa America FJul. 4, 2015ChileLost (4-1)1stScoredArgentina2016 Copa America FJun. 26, 2016ChileLost (4-2)1stMissedArgentina2021 Copa America SFJul. 6, 2021ColombiaWon (3-2)1stScoredPSG2022 Coupe de France R16Jan. 31, 2022NiceLost (6-5)1stScoredArgentina2022 World Cup QFDec. 9, 2022NetherlandsWon (4-3)1stScoredArgentina2022 World Cup FDec. 18, 2022FranceWon (4-2)1stScoredInter Miami2023 Leagues Cup R16Aug. 6, 2023FC DallasWon (5-3)1stScoredInter Miami2023 Leagues Cup FAug. 19, 2023Nashville SCWon (10-9)1stScoredInter Miami2023 US Open Cup SFAug. 23, 2023FC CincinnatiWon (5-4)1stScoredArgentina2024 Copa AmericaJul. 4, 2026EcuadorWon (3-2)1stMissedTOTALWon 9,
Lost 41st 13Scored 11,
Missed 2

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