Ronaldo Sets Unwanted Record for Most Penalty Misses in Football History

Portugal captain and Al Nassr striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most prolific scorers in football history, has now earned a record he would rather avoid — the most penalty misses in the sport’s history.

During Portugal’s match against Ireland on Saturday, Ronaldo’s spot-kick was saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, bringing his tally of missed penalties to 34, according to Planet Football on Monday.

Despite the record, Ronaldo’s overall statistics remain impressive. The 39-year-old has taken 211 penalties, converting 177 of them — an 83.8% success rate, well above the global average.

In the modern era, the top seven players with the most penalty misses include:

7. Ronaldinho – 16 misses
The Brazilian legend had an 81.1% conversion rate, with one of his notable misses coming against England in 2013 when Joe Hart produced a double save.


8. Zlatan Ibrahimović – 17 misses
Ibrahimović scored 87 of his 104 penalties, converting at 83.6%. His accuracy dipped late in his career, missing six of 12 during his return to AC Milan.


9. Ciro Immobile – 19 misses
The Italian forward has scored 86 of 105 penalties for an 81.9% rate, though recent misses for Besiktas have affected his record.


10. Francesco Totti – 20 misses
The AS Roma icon converted 86 of 106 penalties. Remarkably, he scored his final 13 consecutive spot-kicks before retirement.


11. Neymar – 22 misses
The Brazilian star boasts an 80.5% conversion rate, scoring 91 of 113 penalties. At PSG, he had a stellar 90.3% record, converting 28 of 31.


12. Lionel Messi – 32 misses
The Inter Miami playmaker has scored 113 of 145 penalties for a 77.9% rate. Once the holder of this record, Messi has since improved, often deferring penalties to teammates in recent years.


13. Cristiano Ronaldo – 34 misses
Ronaldo’s latest miss against Ireland makes him football’s all-time leader in penalty misses — but also in penalty goals. With 177 successful strikes from 211 attempts, his consistency from 12 yards remains among the best ever.