10 elite players with surprisingly shocking penalty records: Watkins, Pogba, Pirlo…
Penalty kicks are the ultimate chance for players to get on the scoresheet but many top-class performers have experienced love-hate relationships with them.
For every Alan Shearer or Frank Lampard, there have been those who have struggled from 12 yards. Whether it has come down to a mental block, poor technique or crumbling under pressure, penalties are a unique situation and not every player boasts a perfect record.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to bring you the top 10 elite-level players who have surprisingly shocking penalty records (from matches taking place in Europe’s top five leagues) and there are certainly some players on the list who will shock you.
Paul Pogba – 10 scored, 5 missed
The Frenchman was blessed with great technical ability but still managed to miss 33% of his spot kicks for Manchester United and Juventus. Capable of passing a ball over 50 yards with supreme precision or firing into the top corner from distance, it is shocking that he missed any penalties at all.
Of course, he was ridiculed in England for his tippy-toe run-up which seemed to take an age and only add to the tension which didn’t help his case but he was lucky that he was on the winning side on four of the five occasions he missed, with the other being a draw. He well get to add to that record should he return to Europe’s top five leagues after his ban.
Frank Ribery – 12 Scored, 5 Missed
Given Ribery was nearly a Ballon d’Or winner, it is kind of shocking how someone with his technical quality can miss five penalties out of 17 taken. His side won on two of those occasions but they also failed to win, losing once, out of those three missed spot-kicks.
His worst came in the German Cup as he tried to dink his penalty down the middle only for the experienced Jens Lehman to catch it and make him look like a fool.
Adriano – 8 Scored, 5 Missed
You would think someone who possessed 99-shot power (that’s a Pro Evolution Soccer reference by the way) would be able to just simply fire the ball home from 12 yards every time, but the Brazilian had a poor record overall.
He only cost his time truly on two occasions as they managed to win three times when he missed, with one draw and one defeat.
Antoine Griezmann – 16 Scored, 11 Missed
Having scored some incredibly big goals from the spot for club and country, including three in the World Cup and one in the final against Croatia, the Frenchman has missed plenty at club level.
Perhaps his worst was in the Champions League final against Real Madrid with his side one-nil down at the time. They later equalised before losing on penalties (where he converted his penalty) and perhaps the game would have been different if he netted earlier in the final.
Raheem Sterling – 4 Scored, 6 Missed
Given that the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City attacker has missed more than he’s scored, perhaps it may be best if someone else takes over the reins from home next time he steps up. His latest miss against Girona for Arsenal in Europe almost felt inevitable as he looked bereft of confidence after a difficult spell.
Looking at his record, his side won on five of the six occasions in which he missed a spot-kick and two of his successful efforts resulted in one-goal victories but it is clear he needs some overtime on the training ground to avoid any future slip-ups.
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Ollie Watkins – 6 Scored, 6 Missed
Having developed into one of the Premier League’s best strikers and established himself with England, the Aston Villa striker has a surprisingly poor penalty record.
He may want to spend some more time practising from the spot given he has missed as many as he has scored across his career. Fortunately, his side has won on four of the occasions in which he has missed, such as in their 4-2 win over Celtic in the Champions League, but he did cost his side against Liverpool in 2023 and West Ham United in 2020.
Edin Dzeko – 7 Scored, 8 Missed
Despite having 363 career goals, he could, and maybe should, have had even more. Missing more penalties than he’s scored in Europe’s top five league competitions is a poor statistic for a man of his quality.
However, his side still ended up on the winning side more often than not when missing and he has been one of Europe’s most underrated forwards across the past decade who is still going strong in Turkey.
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Roberto Baggio – 16 Scored, 18 Missed
While his penalty in the 1994 World Cup has left him saying things such as ‘the pain lingers even after all these years’, Baggio’s overall record is far from the best.
Given the responsibility time and time again from the spot, he ended up missing more penalties than he scored during his career. A Ballon d’Or winner, perhaps Baggio’s penalty woes stem from something other than the physical, given he was such a gifted star.
Andrea Pirlo – 16 Scored, 8 Missed
Given how nonchalantly he sat down Joe Hart in the Euro 2012 shootout, you wouldn’t think that a man of Pirlo’s incredible qualities could miss up to eight times during his career.
Typically an expert from dead-ball situations, he is one of the more shocking entries on this list. Yet, his side lost just twice and won on the six occasions he did miss. Considering he made a name for himself being a relaxed figure who didn’t feel pressure, it is a surprising figure.
Marik Hamsik – 8 Scored, 9 Missed
The Napoli legend was an icon for the Italian club and often shouldered the responsibility of free-kicks and penalties, but he wasn’t exactly Alan Shearer from 12 yards.
While he did plenty of important penalties to win games, he missed more than he scored which is simply a cardinal sin for someone with his quality.