Lionel Messi continues to become the focus of attention after missing a penalty in the Argentina national team’s match at the 2026 World Cup.
In the match belonging to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of July 7, Argentina was awarded a penalty when defender Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled by Hassan in the penalty area. Just as expected by the fans in the stands, Messi stepped up to take the 11m kick. However, the finish from the Argentina captain was not difficult enough to beat goalkeeper Mohamed El Shobeir.
This is the second time Messi missed a penalty at the 2026 World Cup (not counting penalty shootouts), thereby becoming the first player in the history of World Cups to miss two penalties in the same tournament.
In his career, the 39-year-old superstar missed a total of 4 penalties at World Cup finals, more than any other player. Notably, his number of misses currently also equals the number of successfully executed penalties at the planet’s biggest football festival.
Despite still being an important factor in Argentina’s journey, Messi’s efficiency on the 11m spot at the planet’s biggest playground is becoming a topic of much debate.
Before Messi missed the penalty, Argentina was under great pressure as they were led 1-0 by Egypt with a goal from Yasser Ibrahim.
