Messi vs Ronaldo: Who is better at taking penalty?

The debate of Messi vs Ronaldo will be there forever and the GOAT battle will continue. Both legends have been ruling the football world for the last 15 years. However, the level of both legends has not gone down. Perhaps, the battle of becoming the greatest of all time is still on. This time in the Messi vs Ronaldo battle, we will take a look at the penalty stats of both legends.

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Messi vs Ronaldo: The Penalty Stats

Penalty stats of Messi

• Penalty Taken - 140
• Successful Penalty - 109
• Missed Penalty - 31
• Success Rate - 77.9%

Although there is a conception in the media that Messi is not that great when it comes to shooting from the spot, his penalty stats are quite good. However, he has been the culprit of missing some crucial penalties in high-voltage times in his career. His miss in the 2016 Copa America Final is one of the forgetful ones of his career. 

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Messi Penalty stats: Club career

• Penalty taken - 111
• Successful Penalty - 85
• Missed Penalty - 26

The current Inter Miami star played 18 seasons for FC Barcelona where he was very successful in taking penalties. However, in recent years the success rate has gone below his level. Messi's miss against Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals of UCL 2021-22 is one of the most recent misses in his club career. Although with a success rate of 76.6%, he is quite good from the spot for his clubs.

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Messi Penalty stats: Country

• Penalty Taken - 29
• Penalty scored - 24
• Missed Penalty - 5

For Argentina, Messi has been exceptional from the penalty spot. With a nearly 82.8% success rate, Messi has done very well to send the ball in the back of the net quite often than not. However, his misses in the FIFA World Cup 2018 against Iceland and in the Copa America Final 2016 still haunt his fans.

With his recent miss against Poland in the FIFA World Cup 2022, Messi became the first player ever to miss two penalties in World Cup history.

Messi Penalty stats: Champions League

• Penalty Taken - 23
• Successful Penalty - 18
• Missed Penalty - 5

Messi has only missed 5 times in his whole UCL career when it comes to scoring from the penalty spot. He has a success rate of 78.3% in the Champions League.

Penalty Stats of Cristiano Ronaldo

• Penalty Taken - 194
• Successful Penalty - 164
• Missed Penalty - 30
• Success rate - 84.5%

The Portuguese legend has many records up his sleeves. Ronaldo has been most trusted by his teammates when it comes to scoring in crunch situations. Till now he has taken 194 penalties and scored in 164 of them. Ronaldo has an overall conversion rate of 84.5%.

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Ronaldo Penalty stats: Club career

• Penalty Taken - 166
• Successful Penalty - 144
• Missed Penalty - 22

Just like Messi, Ronaldo too had a long career in La Liga where he was unstoppable upon arriving. In his overall club career, he has always been the main penalty taker. Ronaldo has taken 166 penalties in his club career up until now and missed only 22 of them with a success rate of 86.7%.

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Ronaldo Penalty stats: Country

• Penalty Taken - 28
• Successful Penalty - 20
• Missed Penalty - 8

Surprisingly, when it comes to scoring for Portugal from the penalty spot, Ronaldo has been a bit below his standards. He only has a success rate of 71.4% for Portugal while taking penalties. His miss against Slovenia in the UEFA Euro 2024, was one of the most heartbreaking scenes in his career. The Portuguese legend was in tears after missing the penalty in the extra time.

Ronaldo Penalty Stats: UEFA Champions League

• Penalty taken- 22
• Successful Penalty - 19
• Missed Penalty - 3

As they say, the bigger the stage, the better Ronaldo becomes. In the grandest stage of football Ronaldo has been exceptional from the spot. He has a success rate of 87% in the Champions League. Although, three of his misses in the UCL have been in the semi-finals and finals of the tournament. However, he only lost once in those three matches ( 2012 UCL Semifinals against Bayern Munich)

Messi vs Ronaldo: Penalty Stats | Conclusion

The below table will show you who is better at taking the penalties between two greats of the game.

From the above table, we can surely get that Cristiano Ronaldo is better at taking penalties for clubs and Messi is better at doing it for his country.

Note: Stats are taken from messivsronaldo.app and are accurate till 2nd July 2024.