Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after Copa America miss

Kyle Bonn

Patrick Brischetto

Lionel Messi penalty kick history: Argentina captain's record on penalties after Copa America miss image

There is no denying that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all time. He has achieved so much success with his clubs and country and dazzled football fans the world over for nearly 20 years with his supreme skill and talent.

Some call him a magician, others laud his football wizardry with the ball, and in his native Argentina he is even lauded as a god.

But, as far as we know, he is still a mortal human, and there just may be one aspect of his game that proves this: his spotty record from the penalty spot.

Messi scored a crucial spot-kick in the thrilling 2022 World Cup final against France to secure the title, but scoring from 12 yards is always much easier than it looks, especially in penalty shootouts.

There have been a few occasions down the years where Messi hasn't been able to hold his nerve in the crucial moment. The Sporting News looks over every angle of his record from the spot in both open play and shootouts.

MORE: Every goal and assist by Lionel Messi in 2024

What is Lionel Messi's record on penalty kicks?

Throughout his career Lionel Messi has taken 141 penalties (as of July 5, 2024), scoring 110 and missing 31, leaving him with a success rate of 78% when taking penalties for either club or country. This does not count shootout penalties, only those from open play.

Whilst his missed numbers are high because of his long career and the amount of penalties he has taken, there is no denying he has missed penalties in some massive moments.

He missed a penalty in the shootout at the 2016 Copa America Centenario Final against Chile, which Argentina eventually lost, 4-2. Messi was so distraught after the match that he announced that he would be retiring from international football, a decision he reversed soon after.

The Copa America has not been kind to Messi. He once again missed a penalty against Colombia in the 2026 quarterfinals, attempting to chip goalkeeper Alejandro Dominguez but putting it off the crossbar, yet Emiliano Martinez came up big and Argentina would advance regardless.

Despite his success in the Qatar 2022 final against France, he has also missed penalties at World Cups. He missed in 2018 in a match against Iceland that ended in a draw, and even in the current World Cup where Poland's Wojicech Szczesny saved his penalty in their final group stage match, though it didn't affect the result as Argentina won, 2-0.

Lionel Messi penalty record (open play only)

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us

TeamPenalties scoredPenalties missedPercentage of penalties scored
Barcelona822577%
Paris Saint-German2167%
Inter Miami10100%
Argentina22581.5%
Argentina U20s10100%

Is Lionel Messi good at penalties?

Whilst his record is not the worst in world football, it is not one that fans expect when talking about one of the greatest players of all time. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example has scored 146 of his 175 penalties,  giving him a success rate of 83% from the spot.

Messi himself has admitted in the past that his penalty taking record is not up to standard. In 2018 after he had missed four penalties for club and country, he said in an interview with Catalunya Radio that he found it more difficult to work on his penalty taking than other parts of his game.

"I would like to be more effective from the penalty spot, but it's difficult to work on penalties. It's not the same taking them in training as it is in a game. You can have an idea in your head or something you have worked on, but it's more difficult than it seems.

"The goalkeeper has a lot to do with it, too. If they guess right, they save it. But it's obvious that I'd like to get better at taking penalties."

In general, average professionals are expected to score penalties at an 80 percent rate. This is known since penalties have an xG value of 0.8, and expected goals are based off historical data. Thus, Messi can be considered slightly below average when it comes to scoring penalties.

Lionel Messi penalties missed

Below is the complete list of penalties that Lionel Messi has lost in his career, including the outcome of the match and which goalkeeper he was facing.

Penalty data via Transfermarkt.us

MatchDateGoalkeeperOutcomeMinuteScore at timeFinal score
Barcelona vs. VillarealJan. 31, 2008Diego LopezSaved76'1-01-0
Barcelona vs. Benidorm CDNov. 12, 2008Juan Carlos CaballeroSaved86'1-01-0
Barcelona vs. Recrativo HuelvaApr. 11, 2009Asier RiesgoSaved81'2-02-0
Barcelona vs. PanathinaikosSep. 14, 2010Alexandros TzorvasSaved55'3-15-1
Real Betis vs. BarcelonaJan. 19, 2011CastoMissed53'3-13-1
Barcelona vs. SevillaOct. 22, 2011Javi VarasSaved90'0-00-0
Valenica vs. BarcelonaFeb. 1, 2012Diego AlvesSaved57'1-11-1
Barcelona vs. ChelseaApr. 24, 2012Petr CechMissed49'2-12-2
Germany vs. ArgentinaAug. 15, 2012Marc-Andre ter StegenSaved32'0-01-3
Barcelona vs Atletico MadridAug. 28, 2013Thibaut CourtiosMissed89'0-00-0
Barcelona vs. Real BetisApr. 5, 2014Antonio AdanSaved86'3-13-1
Levante vs. BarcelonaSep. 21, 2014Jesus FernandezMissed42'0-10-5
Brazil vs. ArgentinaOct. 11, 2014JeffersonSaved40'1-02-0
Barcelona vs. Atletico MadridJan. 21, 2015Jan OblakSaved85'0-01-0
Manchester City vs BarcelonaFeb. 24, 2015Joe HartSaved90'1-21-2
Athletic Bilbao vs. BarcelonaAug. 23, 2015Groka IraizozSaved31'0-00-1
Barcelona vs. LevanteSep. 20, 2015Ruben MartinezMissed75'3-14-1
Barcelona vs. Celta VigoFeb. 14, 2016Sergio AlvarezMissed81'3-16-1
Barcelona vs. GetafeMar. 12, 2016Vicente GuaitaSaved11'1-06-0
Argentina vs. ChileJun. 26, 2016Claudio BravoMissedShootout0-02-4
Barcelona vs. EibarMay 21. 2017Yoel RodriguezSaved70'1-24-2
Alaves vs. BarcelonaAug. 26, 2017Fernando PachecoMissed39'0-00-2
Barcelona vs. DeportivoDec. 17, 2017Ruben MartinezSaved70'3-04-0
Espanyol vs. BarcelonaJan. 17, 2018Diego LopezSaved62'0-01-0
Argentina vs. IcelandJun. 16, 2018Hannes Thor HalldorssonSaved64'1-11-1
Barcelona vs. Real ValladolidFeb. 16, 2019Jordi MasipSaved85'1-01-0
Brazil vs. ArgentinaNov. 15, 2019AlissonSaved13'0-00-1
Barcelona vs. ValenciaDec. 19, 2020Jaume DomenechSaved45'1-12-2
Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-GermanMar. 10, 2021Keylor NavasSaved45'1-11-1
Valencia vs. BarcelonaMay 2, 2021Jasper CillessenSaved57'1-12-3
Paris Saint-German vs. Real MadridFeb. 15, 2022Thibaut CourtiosSaved62'0-01-0
Poland vs. ArgentinaNov. 30, 2022Wojiech SzczesnySaved39'0-00-2
Argentina vs. EcuadorJul. 4, 2024Alejandro DominguezMissedShootout1-11-1

Lionel Messi penalty shootout record

Despite Lionel Messi's spotty penalty record, he has done quite well in shootouts. He has largely been involved in penalty shootouts with his national team, never once taking a shootout penalty with Barcelona and only once with PSG. He gained significant shootout experience with Inter Miami in their cup competitions, winning all three shootouts he took part in during his first season at the club.

Always, Messi has been the first to take a penalty, as teams deploy a pretty consistent strategy of having their best penalty takers go first in the hopes of establishing a lead and taking the pressure off those who go later.

MORE: Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has an incredible record at saving penalties for Argentina

Messi has only ever missed a shootout penalty twice in his career. The first was the infamous Copa America final against Chile, while the second was the Copa America quarterfinal victory over Ecuador in 2024. Both came on U.S. soil, interestingly. 

The Argentina star has lost four shootouts in his career. The only one which he also missed was that 2016 Copa America final. The other three shootouts in which he suffered defeat, he scored in all three and was thus not partially at fault for the shootout loss.

Penalty shootout data via MessivsRonaldo.app

TeamCompetitionDateOpponentWon/LostMessi wentMessi result
Argentina2011 Copa America QFJul. 16, 2011UruguayLost (5-4)1stScored
Argentina2014 World Cup SFJul. 9, 2014NetherlandsWon (4-2)1stScored
Argentina2015 Copa America QFJun. 26, 2015ColombiaWon (5-4)1stScored
Argentina2015 Copa America FJul. 4, 2015ChileLost (4-1)1stScored
Argentina2016 Copa America FJun. 26, 2016ChileLost (4-2)1stMissed
Argentina2021 Copa America SFJul. 6, 2021ColombiaWon (3-2)1stScored
PSG2022 Coupe de France R16Jan. 31, 2022NiceLost (6-5)1stScored
Argentina2022 World Cup QFDec. 9, 2022NetherlandsWon (4-3)1stScored
Argentina2022 World Cup FDec. 18, 2022FranceWon (4-2)1stScored
Inter Miami2023 Leagues Cup R16Aug. 6, 2023FC DallasWon (5-3)1stScored
Inter Miami2023 Leagues Cup FAug. 19, 2023Nashville SCWon (10-9)1stScored
Inter Miami2023 US Open Cup SFAug. 23, 2023FC CincinnatiWon (5-4)1stScored
Argentina2024 Copa AmericaJul. 4, 2026EcuadorWon (3-2)1stMissed
TOTAL   Won 9,
Lost 4
1st 13Scored 11,
Missed 2

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.

Patrick Brischetto

Patrick Brischetto Photo

Patrick is a journalist currently based in Sydney who covered the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Women's World Cup for The Sporting News. He also holds a position at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC, and is slowly attempting to convince the world that the A-League is the greatest sporting competition.