Why Lionel Messi Misses So Many Penalties Revealed By Expert

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His passion for sports extends further than football, as he has covered several sports for GMS, including Boxing, Tennis, and Wrestling. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Lionel Messi may have become the highest-scoring player in World Cup history with his brace against Austria, but the Argentine picked up an unwanted statistic along the way.

Before putting Ralf Rangnick's side to the sword in a 2-0 victory, and surpassing Miroslav Klose's long-standing benchmark in the process, Messi proved he is human. After Lautaro Martinez was fouled inside the area, the 39-year-old was given the chance to open the scoring from 12 yards out.

Messi smashed Klose's tally on Monday evening...

But he stepped up and fired the ball harmlessly wide, leaving everyone in the stadium and watching from home stunned. Should everyone have been so shocked, though? After all, that failure from the spot meant Messi has missed three of his seven World Cup penalties.

Geir Jordet, The Athletic's penalty expert, has explained why Messi was unsuccessful against Austria. He pointed out the delayed run-up from the Argentine, waiting for the goalkeeper to make a move.

Analysing the footage, Jordet explained that this technique, also adopted by players like Bruno Fernandes and Jorginho, causes the taker to 'lose some precision'. The expert said:

"This is another example of goalkeepers being aware of goalkeeper-dependent penalty takers. Messi is forced to make a decision without knowing where the goalkeeper is headed. Because he is watching the goalkeeper, his eyes are off the ball, and he will necessarily lose some precision.

"My guess is that when Messi, mid-kick, sees Schlager go in the same direction his shot is intended to go, and it’s too late to change it, he attempts to make sure it is placed as far over to the post as possible, and it goes wide."

Another key reason why only Cristiano Ronaldo (36) has missed more spot-kicks than Messi (33) in the 21st century is the fact the latter doesn't have a set technique. With players like Ronaldo or Harry Kane, for example, you know what to expect.

However, Messi often changes his technique. At the start of his career, Messi would shoot low after a short run-up. His tendency to shoot very quickly after the referee's whistle goes against him, as research suggests this leads to lower conversion rates, perhaps through nervousness.

Following the 33rd miss of his long career, Messi admitted he was less than happy with himself. Perhaps confirming that precision is reduced by the technique he used, the Barcelona icon claimed he 'kicked it very badly'.

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In his post-match interview, Messi told reporters: "Today there was a moment where I was very angry about the penalty because I missed it.

"I kicked it very badly, and well, luckily we were able to turn that situation around, take the lead and get the three points, which is what's important."