Penalty-taking is not for the faint of heart.
On the surface, it looks simple enough – slot the ball into a big net from just 12 yards out, with no defenders in the way. But there’s far more to it than meets the eye.
Goalkeepers today meticulously study their opponents, trying to guess which way the ball will go. The execution has to be perfect too – strike it too softly and the keeper saves, hit it too hard and it sails over the bar.
And then there’s the pressure. With thousands roaring in the stands and millions watching from home, that lonely walk to the spot can feel like an eternity. Nerves jangle, legs wobble, the keeper looms larger, and the posts seem to shrink.
Yet some players have made penalties their stage, mastering the art with ice-cold precision, nerves of steel, or sheer arrogance.
So, without further ado, here are the 50 best penalty takers in football history.
50. Sergio Ramos
Kicking off with a defender, Sergio Ramos has scored over 30 penalties in his career – a testament to his skill and composure, with the Real Madrid legend surpassing most others in his position.
49. Sejad Salihović
Sejad Salihović was a penalty master during his Bundesliga career, boasting a success rate of around 83% from the spot.
The Bosnian midfielder, who spent most of his career at Hoffenheim, scored 39 penalties, and missed eight.
48. Jorginho
With 44 penalties scored and eight missed, Jorginho’s record from the spot isn’t flawless.
His trademark technique – a small hop before striking the ball – has, however, become one of the most copied in modern football, so, credit where credit's due.
47. Luka Milivojevic
For several years at Crystal Palace, Luka Milivojević was the Premier League’s most feared penalty taker.
The Serbian midfielder converted 23 of 26 spot-kicks for the Eagles, many of which proved to be match-winning or point-saving goals.
46. David Unsworth
David Unsworth ranks among the Premier League’s most reliable penalty takers, slotting home 25 of his 29 career spot-kicks for Everton, Sheffield United, Wigan, and Portsmouth.
45. Lionel Messi
Perhaps the only all-time greats ranking where Lionel Messi isn’t at the very top – the Argentine has taken plenty of penalties over the years but doesn’t have the best record, scoring 112 and missing 31.
Still, with that many successful spot-kicks, he just about earns a place on this list.
44. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller, also known as “Der Bomber,” was der-bomb at scoring penalties, racking up a massive 70 during his career – mostly for Bayern Munich, with a few sprinkled in for Germany too.
43. Francesco Totti
It feels strange to put Francesco Totti this low on the list, given he scored over 85 career penalties. However, he also missed 20, roughly a quarter of his attempts.
Still, that total alone is impressive and speaks to his long-standing role as a reliable penalty taker.
42. Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta scored an impressive 32 of 34 penalties for club and country during his career.
His only misses came within two months of each other at Valencia in 2000, but after that, he never failed to find the net again.
41. Didier Drogba
While his record of 31 career penalty strikes doesn't compare to some of the others on this list, Didier Drogba makes the cut here thanks to one particular moment of magic.
Stepping up to take the decisive penalty in the Allianz Arena in 2012, it only took him two steps to secure Chelsea's first-ever Champions League title, in the greatest night in the history of the club.
40. Lothar Matthaus
Lothar Matthäus was a leader on the pitch, and the World Cup-winning captain led by example from the spot, too.
The German had an excellent penalty record throughout his career, converting 67 penalties and only missing nine in a career spanning 21 years.
39. Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes’ skip-and-hop technique doesn’t always inspire confidence in the stands, but those who doubt him shouldn’t – the Portuguese midfielder is ruthless from the spot.
While he’s missed a handful during his time at Udinese, Sporting CP, and Manchester United, he’s still buried over 60 penalties in total.
38. Leighton Baines
Some full-backs have a real talent for penalties, and Leighton Baines was definitely one of them.
Known for his prowess from set-pieces, the former Everton defender converted an impressive 26 of 29 spot-kicks during his career.
37. Jari Litmanen
Finland’s greatest-ever player, Jari Litmanen, scored 39 of his 41 career penalties.
One miss came for Ajax, while the other was saved during his time at Liverpool by none other than Peter Schmeichel, then playing for Aston Villa.
36. Rickie Lambert
Rickie Lambert boasts one of English football’s finest penalty records, establishing himself as a master from 12 yards.
The former Southampton forward scored 51 of 54 spot-kicks, often going years without missing.
35. Yaya Touré
Yaya Touré didn’t take a huge number of penalties in his career, but when he did, he was almost always successful.
The former Manchester City star scored 15 and missed just one, including a perfect 11-for-11 record in the Premier League.
34. Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer is nicknamed “Cold Palmer” for a reason – he’s ice-cool from the penalty spot.
Still early in his career, Palmer has missed just once from 12 yards, converting the rest with composure beyond his years. If he keeps it up, there’s little doubt he’ll climb even higher on this list in the future.
33. Eric Cantona
It’s no surprise that Eric Cantona carried the calm confidence of a top-class penalty taker.
Rarely showing nerves, the Frenchman converted 22 of his 24 career spot-kicks.
32. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has already surpassed the 50-penalty mark in his young career, converting nearly 90% of his attempts.
31. Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard was often the game-changer for Liverpool, whether it was with one of his trademark long-range strikes or a thumping free kick.
From the spot, he was just as reliable, striking his penalties with power and precision that made them almost unstoppable.
30. Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero was another master of the penalty spot, trusted by both Juventus and Italy to take the crucial kicks.
He converted more than 70 penalties over the course of his career, but did miss 15.
29. Jan Molby
With 40 penalties scored and just three missed, former Liverpool midfielder Jan Molby remains one of the club’s most reliable spot-kick takers in history.
He also converted a penalty for Ajax earlier in his career.
28. Raúl Jiménez
Raúl Jiménez not only boasts a penalty conversion rate of over 95% for club and country, but the Mexican striker also one of only two players – alongside Yaya Touré – to have a 100% record in the Premier League from 10 or more penalties taken.
Impressive.
27. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard was a fantastic penalty taker during his playing career, striking all of his spot kicks with power and precision.
The Englishman scored countless penalties in his time at Chelsea, many which were crucial in securing a number of trophies at Stamford Bridge.
26. Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack had one of the most powerful shots in football during his playing days, yet he managed to balance that with accuracy and precision when it came to penalties.
The German legend was an excellent penalty taker, converting 29 of 31 throughout his career.
25. Alan Shearer
The stats don’t lie for Alan Shearer, who has scored more penalties than anyone else in Premier League history.
The Newcastle legend converted 56 of his 67 attempts – an 83.6% success rate – during his time at Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle, with many of his strikes thundered into the net with trademark power.
24. Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, like everything else he did on the pitch, made penalties look effortless, more often than not converting them with the same calm precision and effortless style that defined his midfield play.
23. Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander was an unusually high-scoring defender, netting 131 career goals.
Remarkably, 74 of those came from penalties, with the former Scotland international missing just four during his career.
22. David Villa
David Villa scored a total of 79 penalties during his stellar career in Spain, the US, and Japan.
He did miss 14 spot-kicks, but interestingly, he was never on the losing side when he did – a good omen, perhaps, for the Spanish legend.
21. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović was never short on confidence, and that was certainly true from the penalty spot, where the Swede stepped up over 100 times during his career.
While he was denied 17 times, he still converted an impressive 86 spot-kicks for club and country.
20. Ivan Toney
What’s even more impressive than Ivan Toney’s near-perfect penalty record – converting over 95% of his spot-kicks – is how he does it.
When stepping up, the Englishman doesn’t even glance at the ball. Instead, he locks eyes with the goalkeeper, exuding a quiet menace that unnerves his opponent. It’s unusual, it’s daring – and it works a treat.
19. Gary McAllister
Former Coventry City and Liverpool midfielder Gary McAllister was a deadly penalty taker, rarely missing when stepping up from 12 yards.
With 38 goals and just three misses, the Scot proved himself a reliable marksman, equally dangerous from penalties and other set-piece situations.
18. Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio will always be remembered for that one missed penalty at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the moment that handed Brazil the 1994 World Cup.
But outside that fateful spot-kick, the Italian was usually reliable from 12 yards, netting an impressive 102 penalties over his career.
17. Danny Murphy
Probably not a name you’d expect to see alongside Roberto Baggio, Danny Murphy was not only an underrated midfielder but also a top-class penalty taker.
He boasts one of the best records in Premier League history, converting 29 of his 30 spot-kicks over the course of his career.
16. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski knows a thing or two about scoring goals – he’s netted over 700 for club and country and shows no signs of slowing down.
More than 85 of those have come from the penalty spot.
15. Antonin Panenka
Antonín Panenka is a household name in football thanks to one audacious kick from 12 yards.
In the 1976 European Championship final against West Germany, with the title on the line, he stepped up for the decisive penalty – and coolly chipped the ball straight down the middle. Czechoslovakia were champions, and the most daring spot-kick in history was born.
14. Ronaldo
The original Ronaldo – Brazil’s R9 – wasn’t just devastating in open play, he was ice-cold from the spot too. With a penalty success rate hovering around 90%, he made even the most pressured moments look routine.
Among his most famous strikes from 12 yards was the winner for Barcelona in the 1997 Cup Winners’ Cup final, while for Brazil he once buried a hat-trick of penalties against bitter rivals Argentina in World Cup qualifying.
13. Harry Kane
Perhaps his generation’s finest penalty taker, Harry Kane has used his composure from 12 yards to complement an already impressive goal-scoring record.
His skill from the spot was highlighted at the 2018 World Cup, where he converted three penalties on his way to winning the Golden Boot.
12. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona makes just about every “best ever” football list – and it’s no different here. From the spot, he was as cool as they've ever come.
The Argentine icon buried 90 of his 109 penalties across his career, with most of his rare misses coming in his later years at Boca Juniors, when his sharpness had inevitably begun to fade.
11. Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli hasn’t always been the most consistent player, with many feeling he never fully lived up to his potential. But one thing he’s always had down is penalties.
The Italian has scored nearly 95% of his 50-plus career spot-kicks, a record that places him among the very best of all time.
10. Hugo Sanchez
Outside of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Hugo Sánchez holds the record for most penalties scored in La Liga history, netting 56 across his spells with Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, and Rayo Vallecano.
Across his entire career, the Mexican star converted 74 of 79 spot-kicks, an astonishing 94% success rate.
9. Michel Platini
Michel Platini was a maestro with the ball at his feet – and just as deadly from the spot.
Across his glittering career, the Frenchman took 46 penalties and missed only two, both while at Juventus. On home soil, he was flawless, never failing to convert.
8. Rogerio Ceni
Not only did Rogerio Ceni have a good penalty-saving record, the Brazilian goalkeeper (yes, goalkeeper) netted an astonishing 47 times from the spot during his career.
He gets bonus points for having the nerve to step up as a stopper, while his five misses will have undoubtedly caused chaos as he sprinted back to his goal line.
7. Marco van Basten
Marco van Basten is remembered for thunderous goals – none more iconic than his volley at Euro ‘88 – but he was just as ruthless from the penalty spot.
For Ajax, Milan, and the Netherlands, the Dutch great converted 51 of his 55 penalties, rarely showing mercy from 12 yards. That tally would almost certainly have been higher had his career not been cruelly cut short by injury.
6. Ronald Koeman
The definition of a defender who loved to score, Ronald Koeman racked up more than 250 goals across his glittering career with Barcelona, the Netherlands, and beyond.
Deadly from 12 yards, Koeman’s run-up often looked like he was about to smash the ball into orbit, only for him to calmly roll it past the keeper instead. Out of 103 penalties, he converted all but six – a record most strikers would envy.
5. Ferenc Puskas
Ferenc Puskás was a goal-scoring legend, so prolific, and a scorer of such beautiful goals, that the global Puskás Award is named in his honour.
He was just as deadly from the penalty spot, converting 70 of his 73 career spot-kicks.
4. Davor Suker
Davor Šuker never missed a penalty in his career, converting all 39 of his attempts for club and country – a perfect record that few, if any, can hope to match.
His most famous spot-kick came in the last 16 of France ’98 against Romania, where he calmly scored the only goal of the game.
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco
One of Mexico’s greatest-ever players, Cuauhtémoc Blanco was as ruthless from the spot as he was creative in open play.
Blanco converted 71 of his 73 career penalties, an astonishing record of reliability. His most memorable? At the 2010 World Cup against France, when he thundered the ball into the bottom corner in trademark fashion – a moment that summed up his icy composure and big-game mentality.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
The record books aren’t always consistent, but all signs point to Cristiano Ronaldo holding the crown for the most penalties scored in football history – and by some margin. The Portuguese icon has smashed past the 170-goal mark from the spot, a staggering tally that reflects both his longevity and composure.
Sure, he’s missed his share along the way – but nine times out of ten, when Ronaldo steps up, the net bulges.
1. Matt Le Tissier
Matt Le Tissier is one of the most famous names in English football – and when it comes to penalties, he stands alone.
During his 16-year career at Southampton, Le Tissier was near-automatic from the spot, converting 48 of his 49 penalties. The only man to deny him? Nottingham Forest’s Mark Crossley.
That save became so legendary that the end of Southampton’s old Dell Stadium where it happened was later dubbed Crossley Place – a permanent nod to the one goalkeeper who stopped the greatest penalty taker the game has ever seen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 50 Best Penalty Takers in Football History.