Lionel Messi's status as Argentina's primary penalty taker is facing scrutiny following recent misses in the 2026 World Cup. While Messi has a long history of converting crucial penalties, including in past World Cup and Copa America finals, two recent misses in the current tournament have prompted debate.
Messi has taken Argentina's opening penalty in nine World Cup shootouts, scoring seven. His misses came against Chile in the 2016 Copa America final and Ecuador in the 2024 Copa América quarter-final. In the 2022 World Cup, he converted six of his seven penalties, notably scoring the opening kick in shootouts against the Netherlands and France en route to the title.
Despite these misses, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has indicated that Messi will continue to take penalties if he wishes. "First of all, Leo will take penalties if he wants to," Scaloni stated. "We have other players capable of taking them, but if he wants to take them, he'll take them."
Argentina has been awarded more penalties in the last two World Cups than any other team, receiving eight since 2022, including five in their victorious 2022 campaign and three already in the 2026 tournament. On the two occasions Messi has missed from the spot in this competition, Argentina has managed to recover. However, as the tournament progresses and margins become finer, the reliability of penalty takers could become a more significant factor. The conversation around whether another player should assume penalty duties during open play, separate from his legacy, is ongoing.