Messi Stumbles From the Penalty Spot Again

Lionel Messi has spent virtually his entire career turning pressure into goals, but in recent months he has encountered an unexpected obstacle: penalties. The Argentine is enduring an unusual run from the spot that continued with Inter Miami.

His latest opportunity came after Luis Suárez was brought down inside the box. Messi stepped up, took his characteristic pause before striking the ball, but Brian Schwake anticipated his effort and made the save. Sergio Reguilón converted the rebound, only for the goal to later be disallowed for encroachment.

The miss became even more significant because of what had happened previously. It was the third consecutive penalty Messi has failed to convert during regulation time, a particularly surprising statistic for a player whose career conversion rate from the spot has hovered around 77%.

The Slump Started With Argentina at the World Cup

Messi's recent penalty troubles began during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Argentina captain failed to convert against Austria in the group stage before missing another attempt against Egypt in the knockout rounds.

Before that sequence began, Messi had converted his previous regulation-time penalty in a friendly against Iceland in June.

There is one important wrinkle in his recent record. Messi did score during Argentina's World Cup penalty shootout against the Netherlands, meaning the sequence looks different when shootout attempts are included.

The Numbers Show Just How Unusual This Run Is

Messi's career statistics help put his current struggles into perspective. According to the available data, the Argentine has taken 162 penalties during his professional career and converted 125.

Of the remaining attempts, 28 were saved by goalkeepers and nine missed the target, leaving him with a career conversion rate of approximately 77.16%.

That consistency is exactly what makes three consecutive regulation-time misses so remarkable. Messi has regularly taken penalties throughout his spells with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina and Inter Miami.

Messi Has Been Here Before With Barcelona

Although unusual, this is not the first time Messi has endured a difficult spell from the penalty spot.

During his Barcelona career, the Argentine experienced another frustrating stretch in 2014, when he failed to convert penalties against Real Betis and Levante in LaLiga within a relatively short period. That run also reached three unsuccessful attempts when considering only regulation-time penalties.

Ultimately, it proved to be little more than a temporary setback in an extraordinary scoring career. Messi took more than 100 penalties during his time at Barcelona and converted the vast majority before continuing to score from the spot for PSG, Argentina and Inter Miami.

Messi's Inter Miami Numbers Remain Impressive

His struggles from the penalty spot have not translated into an overall decline in attacking production. Messi remains one of Inter Miami's biggest offensive weapons during the 2026 MLS season.

The Argentine has recorded 12 goals and eight assists in 14 appearances, maintaining impressive numbers while continuing to balance his club commitments in the United States with Argentina.

For now, the problem appears confined to one very specific area of the pitch. But after three consecutive misses, Messi's next trip to the penalty spot will inevitably come with considerably more attention and pressure.