5 world class footballers who are notoriously bad penalty takers

Excellent footballers struggling from the penalty spot is somewhat of a phenomenon in the beautiful game. Nerves and pressure obviously play a role, however with the talent that these players disposal, their tendency to often miss is still surprising.

Here are five incredibly talented footballers who struggle to score from 12 yards.

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#5 Mesut Ozil

Ozil's penalties were easily predicted by goalkeepers (Picture Credit: Independent)

Ozil places lower on this list due to the fact that he has only taken twelve penalties during his career. The 30-year-old has managed to score just over half of these, and most famously missed a penalty whilst Arsenal were on top during a European knockout match against Bayern Munich.

Ozil also has the unwanted record of being the first ever German player to miss a penalty in the European Championship. The World Cup winner has been relieved from Arsenal's penalty duties, however, Gunners fans will forever remember his weak and predictable penalties.

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#4 Gonzalo Higuain

Higuain has always struggled with scoring penalties (Picture Credit: Eurosport)

Higuain's penalty record is not the worst on this list, however, when you consider his reputation as a poacher, the frequency at which he misses is still surprising. Most of Higuain's success from the spot came during his time at Napoli where he was somewhat reliable.

When you take his spell in Naples away, the 30-year-old has scored less than 50% of the penalties he has taken for Madrid, Juventus and the national team. The striker is also known for his tendency to wildly miss from the spot, most notably blazing over a vital penalty during the 2015 Copa America Final.

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#3 Radamel Falcao

Fabinho replaced Falcao as Monaco's penalty taker (Picture Credit: Givemesport)

At age 32, Radamel Falcao remains one of the deadliest strikers in world football and he is best remembered for his spell between 2010 and 2013 during which he was the best striker in the world.

The Colombian forward's success rate from the spot hovers at around 60%, and in the last few years, he has missed penalties in vital Champions League games against both Manchester City and Tottenham.

The striker's deadly nature from anywhere in the box makes his inclusion even more mystifying, and he joins Gonzalo Higuain as one of the least reliable striker's from the spot.

#2 Riyad Mahrez

Mahrez has carried over his poor penalty taking to Manchester City (Picture Credit: Givemesport)

Despite being one of the best players to watch in the Premier League, the Algerian winger's penalty skills leave much to be desired. The Manchester City forward's lack of skills from the spot were recently highlighted during his side's vital clash with Liverpool, and he was much criticised for his missed penalty in that game.

In total, the 27-year-old has missed five of the twelve penalties that he has taken in the Premier League and this makes him statistically the worst penalty taker in the entire league.

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#1 Lionel Messi

Messi has struggled from the spot in recent years

Lionel Messi does not have the worst success percentage on this list, however, he has missed more than double the amount of penalties than any other included player. We also hold the superstar to higher standards than most players in world football, so it is surprising to learn that the 31-year-old's career record stands at 79 scored and 24 missed.

Seven of those misses have been worryingly recorded since 2016, and after being prolific from the spot in his early career, Messi now misses on a much more frequent basis.

His overall success rate is hovering around the 72% mark, and this puts the Argentine well behind the other best players on the planet such as Robert Lewandowski, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Barcelona star has yet to take a penalty since missing at the World Cup, so it remains to be seen if he can improve his record from 12 yards.