Lionel Messi has a penalty problem, and it's time to stop pretending otherwise. The script felt all too familiar during Argentina's chaotic 3-2 Round of 16 victory over Egypt. Nicolas Tagliafico went down, the referee pointed to the spot, and the world braced for a routine opening goal. Instead, Egypt's Mostafa Shobeir guessed right, palming away a low, somewhat predictable strike from the world's greatest player.
It wasn't an isolated mishap. It was his second penalty miss of this 2026 World Cup alone, following a failed attempt against Austria in the group stage. The social media reaction was instant, brutal, and frankly unavoidable. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy echoed a thought running through millions of minds when he posted, "Why do they let him keep taking them?".
Look at the hard data. Across his storied career, Messi has taken eight regular-play penalties in World Cup history. He missed four of them. A 50% failure rate on the biggest stage in sports is an astonishingly bad metric for an elite player. Yet, pulling him off penalty duty isn't as simple as checking a spreadsheet.
The Unwanted World Cup History
Messi now officially holds the record for both the most penalties taken and the most penalties missed in World Cup history, excluding shootouts. Think about his historic timeline of tournament blunders. There was Hannes Þór Halldórsson thwarting him in Russia 2018 during a frustrating 1-1 draw with Iceland. There was Wojciech Szczęsny’s brilliant fingertip save in Qatar 2022 during the group stages against Poland. Now, we have the 2026 tandem of misses against Austria and Egypt.
The technical issue isn't form, it's predictability. Goalkeepers have cracked the code on his slow, rhythmic, wait-for-the-keeper-to-move approach. Shobeir didn't bite on the stutter-step; he simply waited and dove with absolute conviction.
The Argument for Keeping Him on the Spot
Taking the ball away from the captain carries psychological risks that could fracture a team built on absolute loyalty to its leader. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni knows his squad operates as a brotherhood where Messi is the spiritual center. Stripping him of penalty duties publicly signals a lack of faith that could disrupt team chemistry right before a crucial quarterfinal.
Besides, Messi's capacity to immediately make amends is unparalleled. Less than an hour after letting Egypt off the hook, he turned the game on its head. He delivered a pinpoint assist for Cristian Romero in the 79th minute, then dragged his country level with a brilliant 83rd-minute equalizer. He went from looking devastated to leading a fierce 13-minute comeback. He is currently leading the Golden Boot race with eight goals, proving his open-play threat remains entirely unbothered by his penalty execution flaws.
Who Steps Up if Scaloni Makes the Call
If Argentina decides to protect Messi from his own penalty demons, the roster offers elite alternatives who handle the pressure effortlessly.
- Alexis Mac Allister: The Liverpool midfielder is a clinical option from 12 yards, relying on a completely different, high-velocity technique that gives keepers no time to react.
- Julian Alvarez: The energetic forward possesses the power and dead-eye accuracy needed to convert high-stakes spot-kicks without overthinking the angles.
- Gonzalo Montiel: While less likely to start every game, his ice-cold conversion to win the 2022 World Cup shootout proves his nerves are entirely bulletproof.
The smart tactical move is an internal agreement. Messi doesn't need to be publicly demoted by his manager. Instead, a quiet leadership decision to hand the ball to Mac Allister during regular play removes a massive target from Messi's back, letting him focus purely on shredding defensive lines in open play.
The quarterfinal stage leaves no room for sentimentality. If Argentina gets a penalty in the 90th minute next week, letting anyone else take it might just be the edge they need to protect their title.
