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Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as the greatest goalscorer in the history of football. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored a mind-boggling number of goals and has broken records left, right, and center.
Ronaldo is the only footballer to have scored more than 800 goals in the 21st century. He also holds the record for most goals at international level, as well as in the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo has missed five penalties in his career with Manchester United
The Portuguese superstar has always been a prolific goalscorer, even in set-piece scenarios. However, Ronaldo is human after all and is bound to misplace a few shots. His latest miss in United’s shock defeat to Middlesbrough was the fifth time he’s missed a penalty for Manchester United.
Let’s now take a look at all the times Ronaldo has failed to score from the penalty spot for Manchester United:
#5 Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic - 2006
Cristiano Ronaldo's first penalty miss for Manchester United came in their game against Wigan Athletic in December 2006 in the Premier League. He started the game on the bench along with other key players such as Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.
Although United dominated large parts of the first half, they were unable to find a breakthrough. There was nothing separating the sides and Old Trafford was left disappointed when the referee blew for half-time. Alex Ferguson turned to Cristiano Ronaldo to make an impact in the second half.
Ronaldo headed United in front with his first touch and then stepped up to take the penalty which was shortly awarded. Ronaldo’s first attempt was parried by Chris Kirkland, but he latched onto the rebound and doubled his side’s lead. Although he scored, this is technically still considered a miss.
#4 West Ham vs Manchester United - 2007
We now take a look at Manchester United’s league game against West Ham in 2007. The defending champions took the lead thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics after he met Ryan Giggs’ pinpoint cross. The splendid move gave United a well-deserved lead in the 14th minute. United controlled the half but couldn’t add more to their goal tally.
The Red Devils were given a golden opportunity to increase their lead when Louis Saha put in an inviting cross into the box. West Ham defender Jonathan Spector accidentally handled the ball and United were awarded a penalty.
The in-form Ronaldo stepped up and was set to score what seemed to be a straight-forward spot-kick. However, Cristiano Ronaldo drilled the shot to the keeper's right and missed the goal completely.
The missed penalty proved to be crucial as West Ham then went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to goals by Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson.
#3 Barcelona vs Manchester United - 2008
Manchester United’s Champions League campaign in the 2007-08 season was full of ups and downs. The Red Devils had to face tough opposition in their journey but eventually overcame the obstacles and went on to win their third Champions League trophy.
United faced Spanish giants Barcelona in the semi-final. They won a corner in the second minute of the game which provided the away side with a route to open the scoring. Cristiano Ronaldo’s header was needlessly blocked by the hands of defender Gabriel Milito which led to a penalty. The home supporters’ annoyance was audible in a packed Camp Nou.
It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort that led to the penalty and he stepped up to take the spot-kick. After a slow run-up, the Portuguese's shot floated to the keeper’s left and went above the crossbar. This proved to be a crucial point in the game, as United did not get many more chances after this miss. Barcelona dominated the game, but eventually had to settle for a 0-0 draw.
#2 Manchester United vs Chelsea - 2008
Manchester United faced Chelsea in the final of the 2007-08 Champions League season. The game proved to be a thrilling encounter as both teams were in outstanding form in the Premier League as well as Europe. The sides met in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in the first-ever all-English Champions League final.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave United the lead in the 26th minute when he met Wes Brown’s perfectly directed cross. Chelsea’s Michael Essien was playing as a make-shift right back and struggled to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo. Frank Lampard equalized shortly before half-time when the ball fell kindly to his feet in the box.
The final was to be decided on penalties which are always nerve-racking. Ronaldo was United’s third penalty taker, but he could only manage a tame shot which Petr Cech saved easily. To Ronaldo’s relief, John Terry and Nicolas Anelka missed as well, and United were crowned champions of Europe.
#1 Manchester United vs Middlesbrough - 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest miss came in their FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough on Friday. United dominated the game and had several clear-cut chances that should have been converted. The Red Devils had 30 shots while Middlesbrough could only manage six.
Manchester United were awarded a penalty midway through the first half. Paul Pogba received the ball in the box and drew the Middlesbrough defenders towards him. Anfernee Dijksteel had an unfortunate slip and sent Pogba crashing to the ground. Ronaldo, who was on penalty duty, was poised to give the home side a deserved lead.
However, Ronaldo dragged his shot wide and goalkeeper Joe Lumley was grateful to see it flash past the post. United took the lead via Jadon Sancho in the 25th minute, but could not get a stranglehold of the game. Boro equalized in the 64th minute via Matt Crooks and eventually won the penalty shootout after extra time.
