Lionel Messi has accustomed fans to talking about his records, but this time, he reached a negative milestone in his career: missing consecutive penalty kicks. The Inter Miami star failed to convert from 12 yards out against Nashville SC in a 4-1 MLS defeat, reaching an unprecedented mark that has already drawn comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following a foul on Luis Suarez, Messi stepped up to take the penalty. After taking a small hop before striking the ball, he shot, and his shot was saved by goalkeeper Brian Schwake. The ball fell to Sergio Reguilon, who scored the equalizer, but the play was overturned due to encroachment by the Spaniard. Still, the miss officially counted in the statistics against the star forward.
This marked the second penalty missed by Messi with Inter Miami (having converted five), bringing his tally to three consecutive failed attempts. His previous two misses came with the Argentina national team during the World Cup against Austria in the group stage and Egypt in the round of 16.
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s worst penalty miss streak?
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s worst streak of missed penalties stands at two consecutive failed attempts back in 2016. On March 20, 2016, playing for Real Madrid, he sent his shot over the crossbar against Sevilla in La Liga (though he later made up for it by scoring in open play).
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF looks on during the Leagues Cup Phase One match.
The second miss came just five days later, on March 25, 2016, in his next match with Portugal. Bulgarian goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov saved his penalty in a friendly ahead of the Euros.
Until this current slump, Messi had never missed three consecutive penalties during a match throughout his professional career. The forward had gone through various periods of low efficiency from the spot and had even chained together two missed attempts, but he had never reached three in a row.
Messi’s career penalty record
This negative statistic contrasts with the overall numbers Messi has built over more than two decades. Between in-game penalties and shootouts, he has taken 162 penalties in his professional career, converting 125, seeing 28 saved by goalkeepers, and sending 9 wide or high. His overall effectiveness stands at 77.16 percent.
With Barcelona, he took 107 penalties and converted 82. With PSG, he scored two of three in regulation and converted his only attempt in a shootout. With Argentina, he has 25 goals in 32 attempts during matches and seven conversions in nine shootout attempts. With Inter Miami, he has converted all three shootout attempts and has five goals in seven attempts during regulation time.
