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Football, like life, is a game of probabilities. There is never a 100% chance of reaching a specific outcome as every single pass can determine how a move will pan out.
The concept of a penalty-kick is a welcome departure from the norm in the game as it provides the team being awarded the spot-kick with a 50-50 chance of scoring what might be a decisive goal.
The impact of penalties are not limited just to a single game. If a team earns and converts them regularly, penalties can even have a huge impact in deciding the outcome of the season for that team.
Here, we take a look at the top 10 sides that have received the most penalties in a season across all competitions in the 21st century.
T6. AS Roma - 17 Penalties (51 games) | 2010-11
We have as many as five Italian sides occupying a spot on the top 10 list and the first one tied at sixth-place is AS Roma's 2010-11 team. The capital club received 17 penalties that season and ended up converting 14 of them, with Francesco Totti scoring 12 of those.
Roma lost only one of the matches in which they found the back of the net from the penalty spot. They had finished sixth in the Serie A that season and if not for the spot-kicks, could've missed out on qualification for the Europa League.
T6. AS Roma - 17 Penalties (49 games) | 2019-20
Of the five Italian sides on this list, four of them only joined the top 10 this season, thanks to what has been a record-breaking season in the Serie A which saw the highest number of penalties awarded.
The previous record before this season was of 140 spot-kicks awarded in the 1949-50 season which was demolished this time around, with a whopping 187 penalties awarded, courtesy of VAR's ability to have a direct influence on the refereeing decisions during games.
One of the benefactors of these penalties were AS Roma, who received 17 penalties in a season for the third time in their top-flight history and scored 15 times from the spot.
T6. Genoa FC - 17 Penalties (41 games) | 2019-20
Genoa were probably the biggest benefactors of the penalties awarded this Serie A season. Like AS Roma, they won 17 penalties this season but had played eight fewer games than the Giallorossi.
Though they had a modest 70% success from the spot, they earned 17 crucial points from the games in which they scored a penalty. This went a long way in securing their top-flight status as they finished their season just above the relegation zone in the 2019-20 campaign with 39 points.
Also See: 10 teams that have conceded the fewest goals in the 21st century
T5. Chelsea - 18 Penalties (66 games) | 2012-13
The first Premier League team on our list is Chelsea. The West London outfit are tied at the fifth spot thanks to the 18 penalties they won in the 2012-13 campaign. They finished third in the Premier League that season and won the Europa League as well, though they did not score a single goal from the spot in the continental tournament.
Frank Lampard, their current manager and the player with most goals from the penalty spot in the league, took seven penalties and converted six of them that term.
T5. Real Madrid - 18 Penalties (59 games) | 2017-18
Real Madrid's presence on this list should come as no surprise to fans of La Liga, who are no strangers to the claim that officials are heavily biased towards them in league games.
In the 2017-18 season, they won 18 penalties and were able to score 16 goals from them. Cristiano Ronaldo scored seven goals from the spot that season and became La Liga's record spot-kick scorer that campaign.
#4 Juventus - 19 Penalties (52 games) | 2019-20
Three sides in the top five have made it to this list only after the 2019-20 campaign. One can only wonder whether the introduction of VAR might be one of the reasons for the spike in penalties being awarded.
Juventus, who lifted their ninth consecutive Serie A title this season, were awarded 19 penalties this season and converted 17 of them, with their top scorer Ronaldo missing two penalties, one in the league and the other in the Coppa Italia semi-final.
According to Italian journalist Carlo Nesti, the Old Lady benefitted the most from the officials in Serie A this season and had 45 decisions awarded in their favour, 15 more than Inter Milan.
T3. Barcelona - 20 Penalties (61 games) | 2011-12
Barcelona are the second Spanish side to feature in this list and were the first ones to have received 20 penalties in a season in the 21st century. In the 2011-12 season, they were awarded 20 spot-kicks and found the back of the net with all but three of them.
Lionel Messi took 17 of the 20 penalties and of the 73 goals that he scored that term, 14 were from the spot. Though they failed to win the La Liga that season, it was Messi's best season with the Blaugrana and he would also go on to finish 2012 with 91 goals.
Also See: Goalkeepers who have saved the most penalties in the 21st century
T3. Lazio - 20 Penalties (47 games) | 2019-20
The fifth and final Italian side on our list is Lazio, who finished fourth in Serie A this season, thanks to the goalscoring exploits of European Golden Shoe winner for the 2019-20 campaign, Ciro Immobile.
The Italian striker scored 36 goals in the Serie A and 39 across all competitions, with 15 of those coming from the penalty spot. Lazio were awarded 20 penalties this season and they converted 16 of them, with Joaquin Correa and Felipe Caicedo failing to convert a penalty apiece during the campaign.
#2 Manchester United - 22 Penalties (60 games) | 2019-20
Manchester United broke the record for most penalties won in a Premier League season in the 2019-20 campaign, where they were awarded 14 penalties. Across all competitions the total rises to 22, the highest any English side has reached till date.
Of the Red Devils’ 110 goals in all competitions, roughly 15 per cent came from the penalty spot. 11 of their 22 penalty goals proved decisive, either turning a draw into a win or a defeat into a draw.
Though 'VARchester United' might've been trending across Twitter back in July when they sealed the Premier League record for most penalties in a single season, it should be noted that the front three of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood are all very agile, fast-paced players and their explosive sprints into the final third helps in drawing fouls from the defenders which, in turn, wins them a lot of spot-kicks.
#1 Barcelona - 23 Penalties (59 games) | 2015-16
The record for most penalties won in a season across Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century goes to Barcelona, who make their second appearance on this list thanks to a record 23 penalties awarded to them in the 2015-16 campaign.
Despite winning a record number of penalties, the Catalans failed to score a lot of goals from the spot that campaign as the trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, who took all the 23 penalties between them, had a poor success ratio of 56%.
Their poor conversion ratio, therefore, indicates that earning a penalty does not guarantee a goal but provides a 50-50 chance of putting your side ahead, and it is up to the player to make the most out of it.
Also See: European Team of the Season (2019/20) according to ratings
