Messi and penalties
The avalanche of records set by Lionel Messi in his first two matches at the 2026 World Cup is mind-boggling.
But among them, there’s a curious one, the record for most missed penalties in the competition. Messi now has three such failures to his name in World Cups, more than anyone else.
Actually, the history of the World Cup has only two players with multiple misses from the spot. The second: Asamoah Gyan, who hit twice the woodwork from his total 4 attempts (details are below).
In 2018, Messi’s penalty kick was blocked by an Iceland keeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson, and in 2022, by a Pole, Wojciech Szczesny.
Now, for the first time, Messi shot wide.
*Curiously, the last two penalties that Messi missed playing for Argentina in matches for points and including shootout series, were in Texas: vs Ecuador in the Copa America 2024 in Houston and now against Austria in Dallas.
*From total 147 penalties taken by Messi in regulation time throughout his career, 114 were scored and 33 missed (26 of them saved and 7 went wide).
*Messi now holds again also the World Cup record for most penalties taken (7), surpassing Harry Kane’s 6.
| WORLD CUP | MISSED MULTIPLE | PENALTIES | |
| Player | Lionel Messi | Asamoah Gyan | |
| Nation | Argentina | Ghana | |
| Penalties taken | 7 | 4 | |
| Penalties missed | 3 | 2 | |
| Missing N1 | 16.06.2018 vs Iceland (1-1) | 17.06.2006 vs Czechia (2-0) | |
| Missing N2 | 30.11.2022 vs Poland (2-0) | 02.07.2010 vs Uruguay (1-1) | |
| Missing N3 | 22.12.2026 vs Austria (2-0) |