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Messi has taken penalties in the World Cup final, Copa America final and Champions League knockout tie.
He has taken Argentina’s opening penalties in nine shootouts, converting seven, with his only misses coming against Chile in the 2016 Copa América final and against Ecuador in the 2024 Copa América quarterfinals.
Perhaps this explains why Lionel Scaloni has shown no inclination to change. Asked directly on the eve of Argentina’s quarter-final against Switzerland whether Messi should be on penalties, the Argentina coach gave an unequivocal answer.
“First of all, Leo will take penalties if he wants to,” Scaloni said. “We have other players who are capable of taking them, but if he wants to take them, he will take them.”
It’s also worth remembering that Messi’s best tournament from the penalty spot came just four years ago.
He converted six of his seven penalties at Qatar 2022, leading Argentina on their way, including goals in shootouts against both the Netherlands and France, en route to winning the World Cup.
This tournament has been different. The misses are back. In both cases, Messi has redeemed himself, but the controversy is unlikely to go away.
No team has received more penalties than Argentina in the last two World Cups. They have received eight since 2022 – twice as many as any other team – including a record five during their winning campaign and three already in 2026.
Messi has been eliminated twice in this tournament, Argentina has survived. A third chance may not bring the same result. Margins will only become finer.
And that’s why, as uncomfortable as it may seem, there’s now a real conversation. Not about Messi’s place among soccer’s immortals, but about whether anyone else should take a penalty during the rest of this World Cup, during normal play.
