Argentina's national team captain Lionel Messi has become the first football player in the history of World Cups who could not convert two penalty kicks into goals in the same tournament.
According to Medianews.az, Messi missed the penalty kick awarded in the 21st minute of the Round of 16 match against Egypt in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
His shot was saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobir.
Previously, Messi had missed a penalty kick during the second round of the group stage against Austria, a match which Argentina won 2-0.
Thus, the number of penalties taken by Messi during World Cup matches that he failed to convert into goals has reached four, which is the worst record in tournament history. This statistic only considers penalties taken during regular match time; penalty shootouts are not included.
It is worth noting that Argentina's captain was the 2022 World Cup gold medalist and the 2014 World Cup silver medalist. He was also the Olympic champion in 2008 and the Copa América winner in 2021 and 2024. Additionally, he has been awarded the Ballon d'Or eight times, holding a world record in this regard.