Cristiano Ronaldo has set a new unwanted record after missing his 34th career penalty during Portugal’s friendly against Ireland.
Despite the miss, he has scored 177 of 211 penalties taken, maintaining an impressive 83.8 percent conversion rate.
Portugal captain and Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has set an unwanted record in football after missing his 34th career penalty during his country’s friendly match against Ireland on Saturday.
Ronaldo’s attempt from the spot was saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, making it the 34th time the superstar has failed to convert from 12 yards, according to Planet Football.
Despite the new record, Ronaldo remains one of the most prolific penalty takers in football history. The 39-year-old has taken 211 penalties in total and scored 177 of them, giving him an impressive conversion rate of 83.8 per cent, well above the global average for penalty success.
While his latest miss adds to an unusual statistic, it also highlights the volume of responsibility he has carried throughout his career as a designated penalty taker for clubs and country.
Here are the other players who have missed the most penalties in modern football:
Ronaldinho – 16 misses
The Brazilian legend converted 81.1 per cent of his penalties but missed 16 times in his career. One of his notable misses came in 2013 against England when Joe Hart pulled off a double save to deny him.
Zlatan Ibrahimović – 17 misses
The Swedish striker scored 87 penalties and missed 17, boasting an 83.6 per cent success rate. His accuracy dropped during his final seasons at AC Milan, where he converted only six of his last 12 attempts.
Ciro Immobile – 19 misses
The Italian forward has taken 105 penalties, scoring 86 and missing 19, giving him an 81.9 per cent success rate. Two of those misses came in recent matches for his Turkish club, Besiktas.
Francesco Totti – 20 misses
The late Roma legend took 106 penalties and scored 86. Impressively, he didn’t miss a single spot-kick in his final four years as a professional, converting his last 13 before retirement.
Neymar – 22 misses
Known for his calmness under pressure, Neymar has taken 113 penalties, scoring 91 for an 80.5 per cent rate. Since returning to Santos earlier this year, he has converted both of his penalties, maintaining a 100 per cent record.
Lionel Messi – 32 misses
Before being overtaken by Ronaldo, Messi held the record for the most missed penalties. The Inter Miami forward has scored 113 of his 145 penalties, with a conversion rate of 77.9 per cent. In recent years, Messi has often allowed teammates to take spot-kicks, especially since moving to the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 34 misses
Ronaldo now tops the list after missing four of his last 16 penalties over the past year. Despite this, his 177 goals from the spot remain the highest in recorded history.
