Messi’s Panenka pain means Ronaldo stays ahead

Lionel Messi's Panenka penalty miss in Inter Miami's 3-0 defeat against Charlotte FC in an MLS encounter on Saturday reignited comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has now taken 145 career penalties, scoring 113 and missing 32, with a conversion rate of 77.93%. Ronaldo, by contrast, has attempted 210 penalties, converting 177 and missing 33, with a higher success rate of 84.29%.

Messi's miss was his first in nearly three years during regular play, excluding shootouts. His previous failure came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup group-stage when Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny denied him in an eventual 2-0 Argentina win. Since then, the Argentine had converted six consecutive in-game penalties for both Argentina and Inter Miami before Saturday's miss.