Lionel Messi sets unwanted FIFA World Cup penalty record
Argentina captain Lionel Messi etched his name into the FIFA World Cup record books for an unfortunate reason after missing a penalty in his side's Round of 16 encounter against Egypt at the 2026 tournament.
The missed spot-kick saw Messi become the player with the most penalties missed in FIFA World Cup history outside of penalty shoot-outs, recording four unsuccessful attempts.
Before the 2026 edition, Messi shared the unwanted record with Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan, having previously failed to convert penalties against Iceland at the 2018 World Cup and Poland in the 2022 tournament.
The Argentine star missed another penalty during the group stage against Austria before failing again from the spot against Egypt in the knockout phase.
Overall, Messi has now missed four of the eight penalties he has taken at the FIFA World Cup, leaving him with the highest number of penalty misses in the competition's history outside shoot-outs—twice as many as any other player.
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