10 Best Penalty Takers in World Football (2024)

The world of football is almost always captivated by drama, chaos and anticipation. The best teams in the world dream of getting their hands on the biggest trophies in the world — and sometimes that comes from the penalty spot. Argentina won the 2022 World Cup by beating France from the spot, leaving the hearts of everyone back home in their mouths.

As players step up to the spot, they can be overcome with emotion and nerves. It might sound easy to score from 12 yards, but there is so much more to it than that. Mind games are involved, so it’s a player’s job to try and trick the goalkeeper into going the wrong way. A footballer can opt for power or try and panenka it softly down the middle; the options are endless.

Unsurprisingly, some are naturally more gifted than others. Due to this, we have ranked the 10 best penalty takers in the world, providing all the information you need to realise just how impressive they are. It’s been ranked solely on conversion rate, so the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the greatest players of all time, do not feature as they have both missed over 30 in their careers. After all, they’ll be retiring soon anyway.

10 Sergio Ramos | Free Agent

Penalty conversion rate: 86%

Sergio Ramos is one of the greatest defenders of all time. Although he had a reckless side to him, which many noted as the ‘dark arts’, he was still world-class, using his aggression to frighten attackers. His spell at Real Madrid saw him win everything possible — but returned to his boyhood club, Sevilla, before leaving in the summer of 2024.

During his time in Seville, it was evident that he may not be as effective as he used to be in the back line, but he continued to prove his worth from the penalty spot. He’s scored 86% of his goals from the spot, making him one of the highest-scoring defenders of all time. A man of many talents.

9 Romelu Lukaku | Napoli

Penalty conversion rate: 86.4%

Romelu Lukaku might be one of the unluckiest strikers in the world. At Euro 2024, that came to fruition once again as he was the master of having goals disallowed. By timing his runs wrong, it seemed he did not look comfortable in the final third, as he often overstepped the mark of what a traditional striker should be excelling at.

However, it’s a different story from the penalty spot — and it’s where the current Napoli striker, who joined from Chelsea in the summer just gone, can shine. He’s scored 38 out of the 44 kicks he’s taken in his career, placing him ninth on this list.

8 Harry Kane | Bayern Munich

Penalty conversion rate: 88%

Disrespected, underappreciated and often scapegoated. Despite all of his qualities, Harry Kane is consistently not valued high enough in the world of football, even if it’s pretty clear he’s one of the best strikers in the world. By the time he retires, he might be considered one of the greatest attackers ever — and his composure and confidence from the spot kick have only helped his argument.

Kane likes to switch it up, sometimes opting for power, but also occasionally going for positioning instead. Of course, he has missed in his career, including a heart-breaking effort against France at the 2022 World Cup which flew over the bar to knock England out, but that should not take away from his overall record. Reliability personified.

7 Erling Haaland | Manchester City

Penalty conversion rate: 88.5%

Erling Haaland has often been called ‘robotic’ in his career. Usually referring to his movement and instinct in the final third, the former Borussia Dortmund striker is always in the right place at the right time. It’s like he is programmed to know where to be, highlighting the effectiveness of Pep Guardiola’s, one of the greatest managers ever, coaching talents.

Throughout his career, Haaland has missed just six penalties out of 52 taken, which has seen him place Man City in pole position time and time again. The Norwegian likes to resort to power, but he very rarely blazes it over the bar; he knows the limits — and is one of the best players in the Premier League.

6 Robert Lewandowski | Barcelona

Penalty conversion rate: 89.2%

Robert Lewandowski has won every trophy there is to win in football. He’s had a dream career, dominating in Germany with Bayern Munich before now loving life in sunny Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. Just like Kane, he could always be trusted to show composure in the most tense moments.

He’s taken in excess of 90 penalties in his career and scored 83 of them. When some players are predictable, the Polish striker always looked to go either side, making it hard to work out what he was doing. Goalkeepers despised it — and very few ever stopped him. It’s more than possible he will get up to 100 penalties taken before he retires.

5 Hakan Calhanoglu | Inter Milan

Penalty conversion rate: 89.6%

Inter Milan and Turkey star Hakan Calhanoglu is as lethal as they come from 12 yards out – as evidenced by his 89.6% conversion rate from his an attempted 43 spot kicks. His ability from the spot has become a major asset for the Nerazzurri, who relied on a Calhanoglu-converted spot kick to oversee an all-crucial 1-0 win over Arsenal in the Champions League.

Also revered as one of the best free-kick takers in world football, the 30-year-old is making quite a name for himself as a dead-ball specialist. That is not, however, where his talents end, with him consistently proving that he is one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe – both domestically and on the biggest continental stage.

4 Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United

Penalty conversion rate: 90%

In a world of chaos, Bruno Fernandes can bring calm to a team in the final third with his composure. It’s why he’s considered one of the best midfielders in the world, even if he has a dark side to his game by diving and consistently talking to the referee. He’s been Manchester United’s key man ever since he joined from Sporting Lisbon — and they’ve always trusted him from the penalty spot. Fernandes has scored 55 of them out of 61, which translates to a conversion rate of 90%. With a stutter in his run-up that often throws the goalkeepers off guard, there’s no wonder it is so high.

3 Joao Pedro | Brighton & Hove Albion

Penalty conversion rate: 93%

Brighton & Hove Albion have been one of the feel-good stories in the Premier League ever since they were promoted to the top flight in 2017. As part of this, they have continually looked to make smart and clever signings, with Joao Pedro epitomising that thought process.

The Brazilian is one of the Seagulls’ key players — and his reliability from the spot has quickly made him a fan favourite among the ever-growing fanbase. Throughout his career, he’s missed one penalty out of 14. It might be a lower sample size compared to other players on this list, but there’s no reason to think he isn’t world-class from 12 yards.

2 Ivan Toney | Al-Ahli

Penalty conversion rate: 93.8%

Everyone was talking about Ivan Toney’s penalty against Switzerland in the penalty shootout against Switzerland at Euro 2024. With a place in the semi-finals at stake, the pressure was high, yet the former Peterborough striker was the coolest man on the ground. He did not even look at the ball, instead staring into Yann Sommer’s eyes to put him off, before placing his effort into the bottom corner.

It epitomised his talent from the spot, which has seen him miss just two in his career. Brentford were lucky enough to possess his reliability for some many years with plenty of big clubs sniffing around. It is Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League who can count their lucky stars that such a demon from the spot plays for them.

1 Cole Palmer | Chelsea

Penalty conversion rate: 100%

Finally, Cole Palmer has remarkably never missed a penalty in his career. In his short but successful career so far, the Manchester City prodigy has taken 15 and scored 15; all of them came with confidence and charisma which most lack from 12 yards. During the 2023/24 season, Chelsea were consistently awarded penalties, yet it always seemed to be guaranteed that they would score due to Palmer’s unrelenting level of talent. He often rolls it into the bottom corner instead of opting for power, frustrating goalkeepers when they know he has the mental upper hand. The youngster is without a doubt the best penalty taker in the world.

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 07/11/24.