Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had such unprecedented domination in the last 10 years in the world of football that sometimes we as fans need to be reminded that they are only human. People with divided opinions have had endless debates and will continue to have them till eternity about who is the better player and nobody doubts that the two of them take the top 2 spots.
A penalty, a 12-yard spot-kick is often a thankless job for penalty takers. You can only be blamed for missing it, you receive no accolades for converting those. Here we list 5 crucial misses of these two footballers which are just a reminder that to err is human and the 8 time cumulative Ballon d'Or winners are still human which we often forget in awe of their achievements.
5. Messi v Sevilla, 2011
La Liga’s recent history favours the Blaugrana side, winning 6 out of last 8 titles, but the Los Blancos did manage to win one title in the 2011-12 season under Jose Mourinho. It was a closely contested La Liga title race with Barcelona chasing Real Madrid most of the time. None of the two teams could afford to drop points, especially at home.
Barcelona's game against Sevilla at home that season was one such game where the Catalans would have expected all 3 points, only to be left frustrated with a 0-0 draw. In the end, they were left to rue all their missed chances. But, none of them would have hurt as much as the golden chance which went begging in the 95th minute of the game.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the stoppage time, thanks to their attacking pressure and Iniesta’s world class dribbling inside the box. As expected the dependable star Lionel Messi stepped forward to take it.
But the Argentine's penalty was saved and he was left frustrated with virtually the last kick of the game, thus dropping 2 crucial points much to the amusement of Madrid camp who went on to win their only La Liga title in the last 8 years.
4. Ronaldo v Austria, 2016
Ronaldo has been Portugal's inspiration for a decade now but he, just like his Argentine counterpart, is still waiting for his first major trophy in his national outfit. He inspired Portugal to a great run in Euro 2012 only to meet Spain in semis and unfortunately bow out in spot kicks. The motivation was expected to be higher this time around being placed in a relatively easier group.
After a frustrating 1-1 draw against Iceland in their opening game of the competition, a win was needed against an Austrian side who were already on the backfoot. Ronaldo had already received a lot of flak from football fans for missing a flurry of chances and this game was proving to be equally frustrating.
Portugal seemed to be heading to their second consecutive draw when an opportunity presented itself. Ronaldo was brought down in the box and Portugal had a penalty in the 79th minute. Everyone believed that Ronaldo will score being a reliable penalty-taker.
But, it was to be an anti-climax for the Portuguese hero as the ball hit the post and the chance went begging. Portugal’s chances of even making it to the round of 16 from one of the easiest groups are now in jeopardy. The tournament is still on but if Portugal don’t make it to the round of 16, this kick will probably haunt the Real Madrid star forever.
3. Messi v Chelsea, 2012
Barcelona were drawn against Chelsea in the semis of UCL 2012 and it was expected to be an exciting battle of a fierce attack vs a tight defence.
Chelsea were determined and followed their defensive plan with discipline. They stunned Barcelona at the Bridge with a 1-0 win, thanks to a Didier Drogba strike on a counter. More importantly, they had not conceded an away goal. It was time for a memorable showdown at Camp Nou and Barcelona looked ferocious.
After much drama of Terry being sent off, Barcelona played some beautiful attacking football to go 2-0 up and then Ramires chipped Valdes beautifully to get the Blues back in the tie. Now, the pressure was on Barcelona to get the win against a depleted, yet determined Chelsea. Four minutes into the half, Drogba proved to be the anti-hero when he fouled Fabregas just inside the box to give Barcelona a golden opportunity.
The reliable Argentine had already scored a staggering 14 goals in the tournament but the Ballon d'Or winner's kick from 12 yards hit the bar and Chelsea pulled off one of the most remarkable results against a juggernaut.
Messi hasn’t scored against Chelsea and till then had never scored against Petr Cech and some experts believe that the stat would have probably put extra pressure on him. If that’s the case it just proves that even our greatest superstars are humans indeed.
2. Ronaldo v Valencia, 2015
It was another closely contested La Liga season which went to the final day. It was the penultimate game and Real Madrid hosted a rejuvenated Valencia at the Bernabeu. Barcelona had played their match and Real Madrid had a chance to win the game and leapfrog Barcelona at the top of the table.
Madrid went 2-0 down in the first half and Ronaldo, one of the most reliable players from the spot had a chance to half the deficit before the break after Gareth Bale was brought down in the box. The Portuguese took the penalty at a comfortable height and Diego Alves did brilliantly to save it. But that wasn’t the end of the horrifying half as Ronaldo was the first to the rebound and completely missed the resulting shot as well.
Real did score 2 goals in the second half to end the match at 2-2 and draw the game but it wasn’t enough. They were 2 points behind Barcelona with a game in hand and a win could have set up a much awaited and much needed La Liga win for the Los Blancos.
They remained a point behind and a win in the last game wasn’t good enough as Barcelona went on to win their game and the title.
As all football experts agree, a goal just before the break always changes the game drastically. Ronaldo personally had his best ever goalscoring season with 61 goals to his name but Real Madrid were left empty-handed and Carlo Ancelotti was shown the door as a result. Another La Liga opportunity was gone and their arch rivals went on to win another famous treble to rub salt on those fresh wounds.
1. Ronaldo v Bayern, 2012
Since Zidane's volleyed winner in 2002, Real Madrid fans had eagerly waited for their unprecedented La Decima or the 10th European Championship title. After a series of disappointments and six consecutive round of 16 exits, the Los Blancos had turned to the man who was considered the specialist for the competition - Jose Mourinho.
It was a tie against Bayern and they had lost the 1st leg 2-1 at Allianz Arena. With return leg at Bernabeu left and with Chelsea’s triumph over Barcelona, Real were now favourites to win the competition. They started well in the return leg at Bernabeu and were 2-0 up in under 15 minutes thanks to 2 goals from Ronaldo.
But Bayern struck back when Robben converted from the spot to get the same 2-1 scoreline which was in Munich. The deadlock stayed and the match went to penalties.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho’ s main man was the first to take the penalty and drilled it towards the bottom corner the way he does but it wasn’t quiet in the corner. Neuer guessing the right way pulled off a spectacular save to stun Ronaldo and company. It was a heartbreak for the home side as their wait for the famous La Decima was prolonged again.
Jose Mourinho was disheartened and blamed the Portuguese star for the loss. He was the first-choice penalty taker, the go-to man and Mourinho laments the loss to this day. Real did win their awaited Decima a couple of years later but that moment certainly was one of the most forgettable ones for Cristiano Ronaldo.
