Top 10 players with most penalty goals in football history

Putting the ball in the back of the net is the most difficult task in the beautiful game. That is the reason why top centre forwards are paid so handsomely and all the highest-paid footballers in the world are either those who score a bucket load of goals or assist goals. Penalties are an easy way to score a goal. But winning a spot kick is a tough task on the other hand. 

A penalty kick is awarded if an opposition player commits a direct free-kick offence inside their own penalty area. Penalties have played a key role in some of the biggest matches throughout history, we all remember the 2022 FIFA World Cup final match between Argentina and France. 

While it may seem near impossible to not score from any spot kick, but goalkeepers still have a chance to save the penalty kick and they are always high-pressure moments. 

Here we take a look at the players who make it look easy to score from the spot kick, here are the top 10 players with the most penalty goals in football history.

10.Ronaldinho (70 penalty goals)

Ronaldinho is one of the most beloved footballers of all time. He is solely one of the reasons why many current footballers and fans fell in love with the beautiful game. The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner is synonymous with trick, skills and flair. 

But the Brazilian legend was also deadly from the penalty spot and scored a total of 70 spot kicks during his playing career.

9. Alan Shearer (72 penalty goals)

There is no shock that the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer is also on the list of the players with the most penalty goals in football history. Alan Shearer scored a total of 260 goals in the Premier League, most of them coming for Newcastle United. Shearer also netted 30 goals on the international football stage for England
 

Alan Shearer netted a total of 72 penalties out of 77 attempted spot kicks, missing just five penalties throughout his entire playing career.

8. Alessandro Del Piero (77 penalty goals)

Alessandro Del Piero scored the first penalty for Juventus during the 1994-95 Serie A season SSC Bari’s Alberto Fontana. The last penalty of the Italian’s senior playing career came in the Australian A-League while playing for Sydney FC against Melbourne Victory on Mar 16, 2013. (Stats via Transermarkt)

The Juventus legend attempted 92 spot kicks during his playing career and scored 77 of them and missing just 15.

 7. Robert Lewandowski (78 penalty goals)

By the time Lewandowski hangs up his boots, he will be embarked in history as one of the greatest strikers the sport has ever seen. Ever reliable inside the box, the Polish striker has also been ever reliable from the penalty spot. Lewandowski has scored a total of 78 penalty goals in his career. 

Now at 35-years-old, Lewandowski still remains a key player for FC Barcelona and his national side Poland.

6. Zlatan Ibrahimović (85 penalty goals)

The self-proclaimed Lion played for some of the biggest clubs in the world across various leagues. Everywhere Ibrahimovic went success and trophies followed as the Swedish striker ended his career with a total of 34 trophies.

Ibrahimović scored a total of 85 penalties during his playing career before hanging up his boots at the end of the 2022-23 season with AC Milan.

5. Francesco Totti (86 penalty goals)

Francesco Totti is not the only Italian legend on the list of players with the most penalty goals in football history. Totti played the entirety of his club career with AS Roma, making a total of 783 appearances for the club, scoring 307 goals. The 2006 World Cup winner scored a total of 9 goals in 58 appearances for his national team Italy. 

The one club legend scored 86 penalty goals during his playing before retiring in 2017.

4. Roberto Baggio (101 penalty goals)

Now entering the exclusive list of footballers with over 100 penalty goals in their careers. Starting the list is Italy’s Roberto Baggio, nicknamed the Il Divin Codino ("The Divine Ponytail"), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career. Baggio is only one of the few Ballon d’Or (1993) winners on this list. 

Baggio spent the entirety of his playing career in Italy and played for all the big three clubs in the country (AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus). Baggio scored a total of 101 penalties in his playing career.

3. Lionel Messi (109 penalty goals)

For most of the attacking records throughout football history, you will find one name very constant near the top of almost every record, that name is of Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is one of the greatest if not the greatest to ever play the beautiful game.

 On top of all his other qualities, Messi is one of the best set-piece takers football has ever seen. He has scored a handful of free kick and penalty goals. But Messi has had a mixed bag of events surrounding key penalties. Messi announced international retirement in 2016 after a missed penalty during the Copa America final against Chile. 

However, later on in his career, the Argentine superstar had the last laugh as it was his effectiveness from the spot was a major reason Argentina lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Lionel Messi has scored a total of 109 penalty goals throughout his legendary career.

2. Ronald Koeman (113 penalty goals)

While the modern generation might remember Ronald Koeman as the manager of the Dutch national team of former FC Barcelona manager, But if we take a trip down memory lane. 

Koeman was a towering centre-half for the Netherlands national football team and Barcelona.

 Koeman won the UEFA Champions League twice during his playing career, with two different clubs (1987-88 with PSV, 1991-92 with FC Barcelona). He also won the UEFA European Championship (Euros) with the Netherlands in 1998. But the Dutch centre-half was more known for his goal-scoring ability, He scored a total of 240 goals throughout his playing career, 113 of these coming from the penalty spot.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (163 penalty goals)