When the conversation turns to Lionel Messi, few players in football history have been as reliable in decisive moments. A World Cup winner, Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and one of the greatest footballers ever, Messi has built his legacy on delivering under pressure. However, one statistic stands out for all the wrong reasons.

Across four FIFA World Cups, Messi has taken eight penalties during regular play and converted only four, giving him a success rate of just 50%. Surprisingly, all four successful penalties came at the 2022 World Cup, while he has failed to convert in every other tournament where he has stepped up from the spot.

Russia 2018: Halldórsson frustrates Messi

Messi’s first World Cup penalty miss came on 16 June 2018 against Iceland. With the score locked at 1-1, Argentina were awarded a penalty in the 64th minute after dominating much of the game. It looked like the perfect opportunity for their captain to secure all three points.

Instead, Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson guessed correctly, diving to his right after Messi struck the ball low but not close enough to the corner. The save preserved the draw, and Argentina’s disappointing 1-1 result proved to be an early warning sign in a difficult tournament.

Qatar 2022: One miss, four goals… and World Cup glory

Four years later, Messi experienced both disappointment and redemption from the penalty spot.

Against Poland in the final group-stage match, he saw Wojciech Szczęsny save his effort in the 39th minute with the score still 0-0. Ironically, it was Szczęsny himself who had conceded the penalty moments earlier. Messi aimed towards the goalkeeper’s right, but Szczęsny produced an outstanding save.

Fortunately for Argentina, the miss had no lasting consequences. The Albiceleste went on to win 2-0, finished top of the group, and eventually lifted the World Cup trophy. The remainder of the tournament belonged to Messi.

He converted penalties against:

• Saudi Arabia (group stage)
• Netherlands (quarter-finals)
• Croatia (semi-finals)
• France (final)

Argentina defeated France after a dramatic penalty shootout, with Messi successfully converting in the shootout as well to crown an unforgettable campaign.

World Cup 2026: Two misses in a row

The current tournament has once again exposed Messi’s struggles from 12 yards.

His first miss came against Austria on 22 June 2026. Only nine minutes into the match, with the score still 0-0, Messi stepped up but completely missed the target, sending his shot wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post. Fortunately for Argentina, the captain quickly recovered by scoring twice as they secured a comfortable 2-0 victory.

The second miss proved far more dramatic. Against Egypt in the Round of 16 on 7 July 2026, Argentina were trailing 0-1 when Messi won another penalty in the 21st minute. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly, diving to his right to deny Messi after reading the direction perfectly.

At that moment, it looked as though Argentina could be heading for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Instead, Messi responded the way great players often do. He scored later in the match, added an assist in the closing stages, and inspired Argentina to a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory, securing their place in the quarter-finals despite another costly penalty miss.

Every World Cup penalty taken by Lionel Messi

A rare weakness in an extraordinary career

Few footballers have performed better than Lionel Messi on the biggest stage. His World Cup résumé includes countless iconic moments, decisive goals and, ultimately, lifting football’s greatest prize in 2022. Yet the penalty spot remains one of the few areas where the numbers fail to match his extraordinary reputation. With just 50% conversion from regular-time World Cup penalties, Messi owns one of the more surprising statistics among football’s greatest players.

The good news for Argentina is that, even when the penalties don’t go in, Messi still has an uncanny ability to decide matches in other ways. Just ask Egypt, who survived his missed penalty but couldn’t stop him from producing the goal and assist that ultimately sent the defending champions into the quarter-finals.