The 5 players with the best 100% penalty record in the Premier League: Palmer moves top…
Ivan Toney, Matt Le Tissier and Alan Shearer are all rightly considered to be some of the most reliable penalty-takers in Premier League history – but none of them boasted a perfect conversation rate from the spot.
It’s estimated that the conversion rate for penalties stands at about 75%, so to maintain a flawless 100% record from 12 yards is evidence of nerves of steel – particularly if there’s a sample size of more than a few spot kicks.
Here are the five players who have scored the most Premier League penalties without missing a single one:
=5. Ruben Neves – 8
The former Wolves midfielder’s ball-striking ability was something else. He had a penchant for scoring pearlers from outside the box and notched three free-kicks alongside eight converted penalties.
He did miss a Championship penalty in a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United back in their 2017-18 promotion-winning campaign but he otherwise boasts a flawless record from the penalty spot throughout his career, including eight from eight in the English top flight.
=5. Raul Jimenez – 8
Concede a penalty against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves back in the day and you were done for. If it wasn’t Neves holding his nerve, they also had Jimenez to rely upon.
The Mexico international has scored all eight of his penalty attempts in the Premier League – seven for Wolves, one for Fulham – and has a remarkable 94% conversion rate across all competitions in his career.
He’s only missed two spot-kicks; one in an international friendly for Mexico and the other in a Europa League defeat to Sevilla back in 2020.
3. Dimitar Berbatov – 9
“It’s not even about the power sometimes,” Berbatov told UEFA of his penalty technique in a Masterclass video that’s well worth watching.
“You’re just watching where the goalkeeper goes.
“The goalkeeper will try to do some funny stuff. As strong as the player who’s taking the penalty is, he is still a human. He sees you filling the goal and it’s, like, ‘Oh, my God, Oh, my God. Maybe I hit it strong, maybe I stay true to my way of thinking penalties.’ So mind games are good.”
“Maybe the striker is not [focused] enough, maybe he had a bad game, maybe he missed a couple of chances and then he’s not feeling confident enough,” Berbatov says. “There’s no shame in that, you know, and then someone else will step up and score it.”
Wise words from a man that evidently had no shortage of penalty confidence. The Bulgarian actually missed three spot-kicks in the Bundesliga back in his Bayer Leverkusen days, but he evidently honed his craft by the time he arrived in England.
Berba had a 100% penalty conversion record in all competitions for Fulham, Manchester United and Tottenham and scored all nine he took in the Premier League.
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2. Yaya Toure – 11
Manchester City legend Toure has scored all 11 of his Premier League penalties, and it might’ve been more had he not watched on numerous times when Sergio Aguero stepped up.
The Ivorian had a well-earned reputation as an unflappable presence in midfield and that self-belief also applied to dead-ball situations.
1. Cole Palmer – 12
A remarkable return for a 22-year-old who only started playing regularly at the start of last season.
Not only has Palmer converted all 12 of the Premier League penalties he’s taken for Chelsea, he’s dispatched all 17 on record throughout his career – including his first for England a few for Manchester City’s Under-18s as a youngster.
His latest, an absolutely perfectly-executed Panenka in Chelsea’s 4-3 comeback victory at Tottenham, demonstrated the ice in his veins.
“Me,” Palmer famously replied when asked if he could choose one player to convert a penalty if his life depended on it. To be fair, he’s earned that confidence – his record speaks for itself.