Messi misses against Austria and becomes the all-time record holder for missed penalties in World Cups

Lionel Messi became the player with the most missed penalties in World Cup history after failing from the spot in Argentina’s match against Austria on Monday.

The Argentina captain sent his early penalty wide against Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, taking his total number of missed World Cup penalties to three.

It is an unwanted record for one of football’s greatest players and adds another dramatic chapter to Messi’s long and complicated history with penalties at the World Cup.

Before the Austria match, Messi was level with Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan on two missed penalties during World Cup matches.

His latest miss means the Argentine now stands alone with the highest number of failed penalties in the tournament’s history.

The moment came early in the match and immediately became one of the main talking points of Argentina’s World Cup campaign.

For Messi, now 38, it was his seventh penalty taken during regular or extra time at a World Cup.

He has scored four and missed three, giving him a World Cup penalty success rate of 57.1% in open match play.

Third World Cup penalty miss

Messi’s previous two misses both came in group-stage matches.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson saved his penalty in a 1-1 draw.

Four years later in Qatar, Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny denied him from the spot, although Argentina still went on to win the match 2-0.

The Austria miss was therefore the third time Messi had failed to convert a World Cup penalty during a match.

All four of his successful World Cup penalties came during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 campaign.

He scored from the spot against Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Croatia and France, helping lead his country to the title in Qatar.

That success had seemed to change the story of Messi’s relationship with the World Cup.

But the miss against Austria has reopened discussion about his record from the penalty spot on football’s biggest stage.

A career of pressure from the spot

Messi’s penalty record across his career remains strong, even with the World Cup misses.

According to the figures cited in the report, he has taken 149 penalties in his career, scoring 116 and missing 33.

That gives him an overall penalty success rate of 77.8%.

Before the 2018 World Cup, Messi had taken 103 penalties in his career, converting 80 and missing 23.

That meant he had missed only 22% of his spot-kicks at that stage.

But his first penalty of the 2018 World Cup brought a new experience with Argentina at a major tournament.

The miss against Iceland was the first time he had failed to score a penalty for his country in a competitive match that was not a friendly.

Before then, only two goalkeepers had saved penalties from Messi while he was wearing the Argentina shirt.

Brazil goalkeeper Jefferson denied him in a friendly in Beijing in 2014, while Germany goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen saved a penalty from him in a friendly in 2012.

Neither miss carried the same World Cup weight as the ones that later followed.

From Iceland to Austria

The Iceland miss in 2018 was damaging because Argentina were held to a draw in their opening match.

It became one of the defining images of a difficult tournament for Messi and Argentina, who were eventually knocked out in the last 16.

After that match, Messi missed eight more penalties before the Austria game: four for Barcelona, one for Paris Saint-Germain, one for Inter Miami and two for Argentina.

One of those came against Brazil in the 2019 Superclásico de las Américas, when Alisson saved his penalty.

Argentina still went on to win that match and claim the title.

His 2022 World Cup miss against Poland also did not prove costly, as Argentina recovered to win the game and later lifted the trophy.

The Austria miss, however, created a new statistical landmark.

It made Messi the first player to miss three penalties in World Cup matches, whether during regular time or extra time.

An unusual record for a football icon

For a player whose career has been built on extraordinary precision, consistency and composure, the record is unusual.

Messi remains one of the most successful and influential players in football history, but penalties at the World Cup have produced both triumph and frustration for him.

His successful spot-kicks in Qatar helped Argentina win their third World Cup.

His misses against Iceland, Poland and now Austria show that even the greatest players are not immune to pressure.

The Austria penalty will not define Messi’s legacy.

But it does add another complicated detail to the story of his final years with Argentina.

Messi has delivered countless decisive moments for club and country, but from the penalty spot at the World Cup, his record now carries both glory and regret.

For Argentina, the bigger concern will be how they respond in the match and the tournament.

For Messi, the miss is another reminder that the World Cup can still find new ways to test even its greatest champions.