Is Ronaldo better than Messi at taking penalties? Statistical analysis

The rivalry between two major stars of world football — Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — is always an interesting topic for football fans. They are compared in every aspect — dribbling, goals, assists, trophies, and of course, in taking penalties as well. In this article, we will analyze their statistics specifically regarding penalties taken from the 11-meter mark.

Ronaldo's penalty statistics

As of 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is facing 40 years old, is still playing at a high level. He continues to score as a decisive player for the Saudi Arabian team "Al-Nassr" and the Portugal national team.

In one of the recent matches, in the "Al-Nassr" – "Al-Hilal" game, Ronaldo scored two goals, one of which was from a penalty. This brought his total career goals to 931.

Regarding penalties, Ronaldo has approached the 11-meter mark a total of 206 times and has scored 174 times. This means an accuracy of 84.47%.

Messi's penalty statistics

Lionel Messi has also scored many important goals and executed penalty kicks throughout his career. He has taken penalties 140 times and succeeded 109 times. This results in an accuracy of 77.86%.

For comparison: Messi has missed penalties 31 times, while Ronaldo has missed 32. However, due to Ronaldo's higher total attempts, his efficiency remains higher.

Who has the advantage in taking penalties?
Based on statistical data, Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved better results in taking penalties than Lionel Messi. His accuracy of 84.47% is higher compared to the Argentine rival's 77.86%.

Of course, in football, numbers do not mean everything, but accuracy is crucial in important situations like penalties. From this perspective, Ronaldo instills more confidence in taking penalties.