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The 21st century has seen a revolution in football in more than one way. The style of football has changed season after season and its intensity only gets better with time.
One thing which was supposed to be a constant has too changed in its own way and it is the art of taking penalties. Footballers have defined various new styles of run-ups and techniques to approach the spot-kick in the box.
Scoring a penalty is not an easy task
Contrary to normal belief, no matter how easy it looks to score a penalty, that is not the case. The pressure and intensity surrounding it makes it much harder and at the same time important to be accurate.
Many of the top players in the 21st century have mastered the art of being successful penalty-takers. On that note, let's take a look at the footballers with the most penalty goals this century.
#10 Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker has been a phenomenal act in front of goal for almost every club that he has played for. Starting his career with Lech Poznan, Robert Lewandowski was signed by Borussia Dortmund in 2010.
With 103 goals in 187 appearances across all competitions for the German club, the Polishman was very difficult to contain. His performances only went on to the next level when he joined Bayern Munich in 2014.
So far, Robert Lewandowski has scored 331 goals in 359 appearances for the Bavarian club. He has scored 53 penalties in his career so far and will surely be adding more to his tally with time.
#9 Ronaldinho
Very few players in the history of football have made the game look as entertaining and smooth as Ronaldinho has. The Brazilian forward was a delight to watch with all his trickery on the ball.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner played for some top European clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan. He was designated to take penalties more often than not. In his amazing career, Ronaldinho scored 57 goals through penalty kicks.
#8 Oscar Cardozo
Not many will be acquainted with the type of player Oscar Cardozo is. The Paraguayan is quite an efficient striker in front of goal with his clinical finishing and amazing positioning.
Having played the majority of his club career with Benfica, Oscar Cardozo earned a lot of success with the Portuguese club. In his career to date, the Paraguayan forward has scored 58 goals and is still going strong at the age of 38.
#7 Dusan Tadic
It took time for Dusan Tadic to earn recognition in his football career. Having played for Vojvodina, Groningen and Twente didn't help his career much in the early days.
When he arrived at Southampton in the Premier League in 2014, his performances got more attention. He joined Ajax in 2018 and has ever since been a big player for the Dutch side, scoring 60 goals and registering 61 assists in the Eredivisie so far. Dusan Tadic has so far scored 58 penalty goals in his career with his sweet left foot.
#6 David Villa
Not many players can score a curling goal as beautifully as David Villa did. The Spaniard was an amazing forward as he did wonders at Valencia with his fantastic finishing abilities.
In his five seasons with the Spanish club, he scored 107 goals in 167 La Liga appearances. He later joined Barcelona and won the league twice with them. With age, he played his football in the Major League Soccer with New York City FC. In his impressive career, Villa scored 60 penalty goals.
#5 Ciro Immobile
One of the most consistent players in Serie A over the years has been Ciro Immobile. The Italian striker has been constantly among the goals and yet failed to get the recognition he deserves.
Barring a season-long spell with Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, Immobile has spent his club career in Italy. His best time has come at his current club, Lazio. Having won the European Golden Shoe in the 2019-20 season, the Italian striker has been breathtaking in front of goal.
In his 248 appearances for Lazio across all competitions, Ciro Immobile has scored 173 goals and registered 45 assists. He has scored 61 penalty goals in his career so far and is likely to increase the count and move up the ladder on this list with time.
#4 Francesco Totti
Among all the players on this list, Francesco Totti is the only player to have played for a significant time in the 19th century. That being said, he was a one-club footballer as he played for only Roma in his entire club career.
The attacking midfielder was a very dashing figure on the pitch with all his creativity and aggression. The Roma legend scored 307 goals in his 785 appearances for the Italian side. He was authorized to take the penalties consistently and was involved in scoring 73 penalty goals in the 21st century.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Players come and go but not many can match the audacity and success that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had in his career. The Swedish striker has been outstanding throughout his professional football career.
He has played for a number of top European clubs like of Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. It is not easy to be able to play for all these wonderful clubs. Zlatan's excellent technique and amazing goal-scoring abilities are responsible for him being successful almost everywhere where he played.
For the nine clubs he has played for so far, the Swedish legend has scored 467 goals in total and registered 167 assists in 761 appearances. It is a phenomenal achievement given the competition everywhere. To date, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored 78 goals through penalties and can add more before he hangs up his boots.
#2 Lionel Messi
No amount of words can do justice to the greatness of Lionel Messi. The Barcelona legend surprised many when it was confirmed that he would be joining Paris Saint-Germain in last summer's transfer window.
Having played 17 seasons with the Catalan club, leaving them would surely not have been easy for him. In his superb career with the Spanish giants, Messi scored 672 goals in 778 appearances across all competitions.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner may be struggling a bit in Ligue 1 right now but remains one of the goats in football. To date, Lionel Messi has scored 78 goals through penalties, all of which have come in the 21st century.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
It is not easy to skip Cristiano Ronaldo when a discussion of goals is taking place. The Portuguese superstar has been a goal-scoring machine throughout his football career.
Irrespective of the club, league or the opposition, Ronaldo has guaranteed goals. The Portuguese forward has been immense with his brutal finishing and amazing instincts in scoring goals. In his club career, he has scored 688 goals in 921 appearances across all competitions.
With 128 penalty goals to his name in the 21st century, no player has come close to beating Ronaldo in this matter. It only speaks volumes of how well the Manchester United forward has handled himself in such situations.
