Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after Copa America miss

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 spotty 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.

MORE: Every goal and assist by Lionel Messi in 2024

What is Lionel Messi's record on penalty kicks?

Throughout his career Lionel Messi has taken 141 penalties (as of July 5, 2024), scoring 110 and missing 31, leaving him with a success rate of 78% 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 amount 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.

Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero both in tears after losing the #CopaAmerica final to Chile. pic.twitter.com/CJHXKyboYx

— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) June 27, 2016

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.

Lionel Messi penalty record (open play only)

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us

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 lost in his career, including the outcome of the match and which goalkeeper he was facing.

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us

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.

Always, 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