There's One Area Messi Is a Mere Mortal

The man who's made soccer look borderline unfair for two decades keeps stumbling over its simplest shot. Writing at the Wall Street Journal, Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson dig into why Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player ever, is merely average from 12 yards out—and sometimes worse. His latest miss at this World Cup, against Egypt, was his second of the tournament and his fourth in eight World Cup penalties, giving him the dubious distinction of more misses from the spot than anyone in the event's history.

Across his career, Messi has converted about 77% of non-shootout penalties for club and country—roughly the global norm, and well below specialists like Harry Kane. The Journal argues his problem is partly by design: unlike top takers who repeat one trusted routine, Messi constantly changes speed, placement, and technique, often waiting for the goalkeeper to move before picking a side, a high-variance gamble under extreme pressure. Penalties also strip away the on-the-ball improvisation that defines his genius, turning him into a one-touch shooter instead of a creator. For the full breakdown—and the psychology behind it—read the full piece at the Wall Street Journal.