SUMMARY
- Robert Lewandowski boasts an impressive 89% penalty conversion rate while Erling Haaland has a remarkable 91% conversion rate.
- Premier League legend Alan Shearer's composed style is evident in his 92% penalty conversion rate while Manchester United midfielder, Bruno Fernandes, has scored 50 out of 56 penalties with precision.
Taking a penalty has always been a debatable scenario among soccer fans. While many believe it is an easy situation to score goals in, others think that it is the most tense situation to score goals in. Both aspects are considerable as penalty kicks do hold the best odds to score a goal but it is also a situation to question which way the keeper will dive in.
Following are the ice-veined legends, the penalty kings, whose names echo through the halls of soccer history. Today, we celebrate ten of the greatest penalty takers ever, who turned the spot into their dominant territory.
10. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has been a striker who has dominated the headlines for the past decade. Being a lethal goalscorer, Lewandowski has been averaging 0.71 goals per 90, even after playing an illustrious 889 matches across his professional career.
With this lethal prowess, Lewandowski has had an impressive penalty conversion rate as well. Across his career, he has taken 85 penalties and converted 76 of them, securing a success rate of 89%.
9. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has recently been a name bobbling around the soccer world. Aged just 23 years old, the Norwegian striker has been a force to be reckoned with so far across this short spell in his professional career. Across his career so far, he has scored 233 goals in 286 matches for both his club and country.
Out of these 233 goals scored, Haaland has bagged 41 of them as a penalty. Holding an impressive conversion rate of 91%, Haaland has been a lethal striker to set his mark from the penalty spot. Holding such an impressive record at such a young age, Haaland will no doubt be a contender to break several scoring records in the future.
8. Alan Shearer
The Premier League’s all-time top scorer, Alan Shearer, is one of the most prolific penalty-takers in English soccer history. Securing a remarkable feat of 284 goals across all competitions, Alan Shearer has been an ever-present in front of goal.
Shearer has faced 77 penalties in total during his career, and he has converted 72 of them, giving him a success rate of 92%. After helping Blackburn win the Premier League back 1994/95 season and securing a transfer to his boyhood club Newcastle United, Shearer slotted his name across the best center forwards in English soccer history.
7. Bruno Fernandes
With Bruno Fernandes still going strong and just 29 years old, Manchester United’s midfielder still has the opportunity to better his current penalty record. To date, Fernandes has taken 56 penalty kicks and successfully converted 50 of them.
Holding out the 89% conversion rate, Bruno Fernandes has been an ever-present from the spot for all his teams, such as Sporting CF, Manchester United, and the Portugal national team. Fernandes’s remarkable penalty style and technique have always been a talking point ever since he joined Manchester United back in the winter of 2020.
6. Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney has been a new name to grace the penalty talks across soccer history. Ivan Toney graced the field as a striker for teams like Shrewsbury Town, Rochdale, and Brentford. Across his career, Toney has faced 31 penalties across his career wherein he has scored 29 of them. With this excellent record of 93%, Toney is surely a player who has been fantastic from the spot.
His fabulous one-step penalty technique has been a process that keepers still haven’t figured out. Missing just 2 penalties across his career, Toney has illustrated why he is a man whom anybody can trust from 12 yards out.
5. Mario Balotelli
The Italian striker is normally known for his odd behavior around the field. Mario Balotelli is a reliant penalty taker. Across his career, the Italian took 52 penalties, out of which he converted 47 of them, securing a 90% conversion rate.
“Who would I trust with a penalty kick my life depended on?
I have a lot of confidence in myself, but I would say also Balotelli, he is the best I’ve seen take them”
🗣 Erling Haaland via Sky Sport pic.twitter.com/j5T1poodL9
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 14, 2022
The main reason he comes so high on the list is credited to his technique, with which he scored his spot kicks. His effortless technique has made him oddly prolific from twelve yards. This shows that you don’t need to power your shots to take a spot kick; you just need to place them in the right corner.
4. Marco van Basten
Marco van Basten is a player whose career was shortened by injuries. Having been forced to retire just at the age of 28, van Basten was no doubt a force to be reckoned with. Having managed to score 277 goals and provide 83 assists in just 373 matches played, van Basten was already a player defender feared the most.
Marco van Basten won the Ballon d’Or three times, and with this legendary status came his penalty record, which shook the world and showed how good he was. Marco van Basten converted 51 out of his possible 55 penalties, resulting in a 92% conversion rate.
3. Michel Platini
The French attacker, Michel Platini, is widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever grace the pitch. He achieved remarkable success across both the club and international levels. Platini was generally praised for his elegant playstyle and exquisite vision to find teammates.
But his penalty record is a vast statistic that remains underrated. Platini took 45 penalties across his career, out of which he converted 44 of them. With this outstanding record, Platini acquired a 97% conversion rate, putting him at the top of the list of the best penalty-takers among professional soccer players.
Winning the Ballon d’Or three times in a row, Platini was already regarded as a legend of the game. But this stat remains to be noted that showcased the ice in his veins to convert from the spot.
2. Matt Le Tissier
Southampton’s English hero across the 1990s Matt Le Tissier was possibly one of the most underrated players in English soccer history. Matt Le Tissier is certainly regarded as the best penalty-taker in Premier League history.
Le Tissier was generally known for his elegant long-range goals and silky skills around the defense. But it is not any false knowledge that he was sublime from the spot as well. The English playmaker scored 48 out of possible 49 penalty kicks he faced throughout his career.
Converting 98% of his total penalties taken showcases why he is among the best to ever score from the spot. Holding an incredible technique of chip-style finesse, Le Tissier never feared to showcase his elegant style in spot-kicks.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Whenever we hear the question about penalty success, Cristiano Ronaldo is generally the first name that pops up in most minds. Well no doubt, across his astonishing career Ronaldo has taken several spot-kicks and has set his mark on perfecting his technique to convert from the spot.
Across his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 189 penalties, out of which he has managed to convert 160. Acquiring an 84% conversion rate, many would think it is a bad record, but converting 160 spot kicks is a tremendous feat that many would only dream of.
Holding the ability to score from anywhere around the pitch, Ronaldo no doubt is not just a penalty man, as spot-kicks account for just 18% of his total goals scored across his career. With this immense confidence from the spot, Ronaldo will surely be settled as the best penalty-taker in soccer history.
The greatness of these penalty-takers transcends mere conversion rates. It lies in their composure under pressure, their ability to read goalkeepers, and their technical skill to execute with precision. Penalty-taking itself has become an art form, constantly evolving with new techniques and styles.
From Le Tissier’s nonchalant chip to Bruno’s playful hop, the penalty shot provides a stage for individual brilliance and a testament to the mental fortitude of its masters. These ten legends, and countless others, have etched their names in the pantheon of penalty greatness.