5 players who have missed the most penalties in the 21st century

#3 Francesco Totti - 18 penalties missed

AC Chievo Verona v AS Roma - Serie A

In football, loyalty has become a rare commodity. Footballers do vouch to remain faithful to their clubs but tend to look for greener pastures after the slightest of conflicts.

AS Roma legend Francesco Totti has been a glowing exception to this norm in the 21st century. He never held the club hostage and stayed put despite getting multiple offers from some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid.

For over 20 years, he was one of the first names on the team sheet for AS Roma. Naturally a second-striker, Totti had a knack for drifting into little pockets of space, unlocking defenses with little one-twos. He made 618 Serie A appearances for Roma, scoring 250 goals.

During his time with Roma, he was the team’s primary spot-kick taker. He took 95 penalties in the 21st century, converting 77 of them.

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#2 Cristiano Ronaldo - 28 penalties missed

Norwich City v Manchester United - Premier League

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been a phenomenon since making his first-team debut for Sporting Lisbon in 2003. The mercurial Portuguese has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, scoring goals and reaching new milestones for fun wherever he goes.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s best goalscoring spell came during his time with La Liga giants Real Madrid. Between 2009 and 2018, the Portugal skipper scored 451 goals for the club, helping them to two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, among other honors.

For his exploits, he won four Ballons d’Or while wearing the famous white jersey of Real Madrid.

To no one’s surprise, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the first-choice penalty taker for each of his clubs. So far, the generation’s leading goalscorer has taken 171 penalties for his clubs and country, finding the back of the net a total of 143 times.

Also take a look into Cristiano's Net Worth 2021

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#1 Lionel Messi - 29 penalties missed

Argentina v Uruguay - FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar Qualifier

Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi is arguably the best player the world has ever seen. He is an exceptional goalscorer, a magnificent creator, and has always managed to lead by example on the football pitch.

Before his highly-controversial move to PSG in the summer of 2021, Messi had only played for Barcelona. The Argentine was at the club for 21 long years, first graduating from La Masia then emerging as the best of the generation.

Messi made 772 appearances for Barcelona in his career, registering 672 goals and 301 assists. His exploits at the Camp Nou saw him win six Ballons d’Or. He won his seventh Ballon d’Or at PSG in the last week of November.

To date, Messi has taken 132 penalties, scoring 103 times.