Despite his status as one of football's greatest players, Lionel Messi's penalty-taking record is surprisingly ordinary, according to Geir Jordet, a professor of psychology and football and a leading expert on the psychology of penalties.
Messi has made World Cup history for both taking and missing the most penalties in the tournament's history. He has taken eight penalties and missed four, becoming the first player to miss two spot-kicks in a single World Cup after failing to convert against Austria in the group stage and against Egypt in a recent match. Across his career, Messi has scored 116 penalties out of 150 attempts, a conversion rate of 77 percent, which Jordet describes as "average."
Jordet identified two primary techniques Messi employs, both of which have significant flaws.
Goalkeeper-Dependent Technique
When using this method, Messi approaches the ball slowly, observing the goalkeeper's movements to decide where to place the shot. Jordet notes that unlike many other players who use a stutter in their run-up to mislead the goalkeeper, Messi's approach lacks this trigger. This allows the goalkeeper more time to react and a 50 percent chance of guessing the correct direction.
"He is not looking at the ball because he's looking at the keeper which means his precision is going to be a bit off," Jordet explained. During the miss against Austria, Jordet suggested Messi likely saw the goalkeeper moving and attempted to adjust his kick for accuracy, which resulted in the ball going wide.
Goalkeeper-Independent Technique
In this approach, Messi appears to pre-decide where to aim, often with pace and precision. However, Jordet believes that goalkeepers can quickly identify this technique. "The key for the goalkeeper then is to go early because he's not going to look at you or change his mind, so you have a 50 per cent chance of going the right way," Jordet said.
While this technique works for players like Harry Kane, Jordet noted that Messi lacks the same level of pace and precision. "When he uses this technique, it's an OK shot, but not great, and it's stoppable," he added.
Despite his struggles, Jordet believes Messi can still improve his penalty-taking, citing the development of Harry Kane's technique. He concluded that Messi's issues are practical, stemming from his technique rather than pressure.
