Sports
Football’s 22 Greatest Penalties of all Time Ranked
Summary
- The list ranks the greatest penalties in football history.
- Examples include Johan Cruyff’s “pass penalty” and Zinedine Zidane’s iconic Panenka.
- Some penalties are unorthodox, like Aritz Aduriz’s one-step penalty and Ivan Toney’s unique technique, while others are unstoppable, like Kevin Pressman’s powerful strike and Lionel Messi’s cool finish.
What are the greatest penalties in football history? We all have our own favourites, usually involving the teams we support, so even whittling down the best ever spot-kicks to a final shortlist of 20 was an incredibly difficult task.
So much so, in fact, that we’ve now extended our comprehensive list to 22 following Nick Woltemade’s sensational penalty for Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest on October 5, 2025. We’ve dedicated individual articles to most of these weird and wonderful penalties in the past; now it’s time to rank them in order.
22
Harry Wilson
Fulham vs Tottenham – Carabao Cup, 2023
A genuinely outstanding penalty from Harry Wilson, and one which wholeheartedly deserves to kick off the list. Some football fans at the time even described it as the best penalty they’ve ever seen, it was that good. Wilson arrowed the ball into the top corner of the net with his lethal wand of a left foot. Just look at the way the ball bounces around afterwards – so aesthetically pleasing!
However, we’ve trawled through the archives and found 20 other penalties we believe are even better. Yep, the standard really is that high.
21
Xabi Alonso
Spain vs Argentina – 2009
An absolute beauty of a top-corner penalty, Spain’s friendly against Argentina at the Vicente Calderon in 2009 produced this magnificent spot-kick from the cool-as-a-cucumber Xabi Alonso. No goalkeeper in the world was getting close to saving it.
Alonso, who now manages Bayer Leverkusen and led the German club to an extraordinary unbeaten campaign in 2023-24, is remembered for his spells with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. However, this penalty for Spain was surely the best of his illustrious career.
20
Charles Aranguiz
Chile vs Brazil – 2014 World Cup
While this may have ultimately been a pretty meaningless penalty due to the fact Brazil won the shootout, take nothing away from the sheer quality of the strike from Chile’s Charles Aranguiz. Faced up against Julio Cesar and a mountain of Brazil fans behind him, Aranguiz held his nerve and blasted the ball towards goal.
The sound of the ball hitting the net against the backdrop of whistling Brazil supporters is pure theatre. It’s just a huge shame for Aranguiz that he found himself on the losing team that day because he’ll never be able to fully enjoy looking back at it.
19
Ashad Ali
Maldives vs Afghanistan – 2014
Did he mean it? That’s the question we’re all still wondering almost a decade later. Ashad Ali fell on his face during his run-up, before getting back up and scoring his penalty.
The fall appears almost too theatrical to be real. He then looks at the referee before slotting the ball past Afghanistan’s baffled goalkeeper. You have to admit: if he meant it, it’s genius.
18
Oscar Cardozo
Libertad vs Cerro Porteno – 2023
One of the most powerful penalties ever scored, 39-year-old Oscar Cardozo almost put the Cerro Porteño goalkeeper through the net with a blistering left-footed strike. The ‘keeper had no time to react as the ball flew past him down the middle of the goal.
Not only was this one of the most emphatic penalties of all time, it was also Cardozo’s fourth goal of the night. It’s true what they say: class is permanent. (Skip to 4:18 in the above video to watch Cardozo’s rocket).
17
Paul Scholes
Very few players have been capable of hitting a football as cleanly as Paul Scholes, the Manchester United legend who spent his entire career at Old Trafford. The Englishman is responsible for some of the greatest goals of the Premier League era, including his wonder strikes against Bradford City and Aston Villa.
Back in 2003, when Scholes was arguably at the peak of his powers, Man Utd’s legendary No. 18 made Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann look silly during the Community Shield penalty shootout. The German tried to put Scholes off by dancing around on his goal line, but the Ginger Prince responded by lashing the ball into the very top corner of the net.
16
Lyle Taylor
vs multiple clubs
When it comes to the most ‘disrespectful’ penalty technique in football, nobody is beating Lyle Taylor, who begins his ‘walk-up’ from outside the box and locks focus on the goalkeeper’s eyes as he calmly approaches the ball.
The Montserrat international, who has played for the likes of AFC Wimbledon and Charlton during his career, then picks his spot and usually converts. Take this winning penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage-time while playing for Nottingham Forest against Coventry City in November 2020, for example. Not only did Taylor score, but he also rubbed salt in the goalkeeper’s wounds afterwards.
15
Eric Bautheac
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United – 2019
Quite possibly the slowest penalty ever, Eric Bautheac’s curious effort was a mix of Panenka and, well, a scuff. The way in which he seemed to panic slightly as the ball rolled towards goal suggests he may have intended to hit the ball with more power, hence why he’s not further up the list.
But in any case, it’s still an absurd penalty and certainly one of the most unusual we’ve ever seen. Could the goalkeeper have saved it, though? For some inexplicable reason, he appeared to almost give up as the ball crawled past him at a snail’s pace.
14
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal vs England – 2006 World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo, aged just 21 at the time and wearing the number 17 shirt, scored this decisive penalty for Portugal against England in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals. The penalty itself was sensational: a slightly stuttered run-up before leathering the ball past goalkeeper Paul Robinson. However, it’s also important to note what had happened earlier in the match.
Ronaldo was involved in an altercation with his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, who was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho. While certain players would have immediately been distracted, thinking about the repercussions of that incident ahead of his return to England, Ronaldo remained fully focused on the task in hand and celebrated wildly after firing Portugal through to their first World Cup semi-final in 40 years at the Three Lions’ expense.
13
Aritz Aduriz
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Valladolid – 2018
One of the most casual spot-kicks we’ve ever seen, Athletic Bilbao legend Aritz Aduriz scored a highly unusual one-step penalty while playing against Real Valladolid in 2018. The striker positioned the ball on the spot, waited for the referee’s whistle, stepped his right foot back without moving his left foot, then passed the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Full marks for bravery, Aritz. We haven’t seen any elite-level players attempt to emulate Aduriz’s bold one-off penalty technique since 2018 probably because it would require nerves of absolute steel to pull off.
Sports
Jon Jones Reveals Why Lewis Hamilton ‘Went Off’ in His DMs Before Unfollowing and Blocking Him
Former UFC champion Jon Jones has revealed the reason why seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton unfollowed and blocked him on social media.
Jones recently appeared on the ALF Global Podcast and brought up a funny story about the reason why the Ferrari ace unfollowed him on socials after sending him a long message disagreeing with his actions.
In 2021, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion posted a video on social media where he joined Army Rangers in hunting pigs with an AR-15 out of a helicopter, and said he proudly killed one of them and donated it to an underprivileged family.
After posting the video, Jones said he received a long message from the Formula 1 ace, calling him a coward and that the traditional way of killing an animal should be with a bow and arrow so that it has a chance to fight back.
Despite being a huge fan of Hamilton, Jones was blocked by him following the video.
Jon Jones Discusses Lewis Hamilton Incident
Jones detailed the story and the message that he received from Hamilton, saying: “I was so proud of myself because I killed one of the pigs from the helicopter.
“My pig was donated to an underprivileged family in the community, but Lewis saw me shoot the pig, and he wrote me a long message saying that I was a coward, and he thought I was better than that.
“He said the traditional way of killing animals should be with a spear or a bow and arrow. He said only a coward could shoot an animal from a helicopter, give the animal a chance to fight you back at least.
“He unfollowed me and blocked me. It sucked because I was a fan of his. He was so disappointed in me.”
Lewis Hamilton’s Strong Beliefs
The Ferrari driver is renowned for being an environmentalist and regularly shares his activism on social media. Being involved in a sport like F1, where carbon emissions are high, the Brit does what he can to offset these emissions, including selling his private jet and switching to electric or hybrid cars off track.
Most notably, Hamilton switched to a plant-based diet in 2017, cutting out meat and dairy consumption due to the industry’s part to play in deforestation and climate change.
While Jones recalled the exchange as a humorous anecdote, Hamilton’s response is hardly surprising considering his efforts to speak out about animal welfare and the environment.
Sports
Arsenal ‘Close to Signing’ Centre-Back Before Bruno Guimaraes
Arsenal are close to completing the signing of a centre-back, with talks on this front said to be more advanced than the prospective deal for Bruno Guimaraes, according to ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade.
The Gunners have made multiple offers for Guimaraes now, as they look to pry Newcastle United’s captain away from the north-east and to North London. The latest proposal is said to have been in the region of £70 million, and while there is optimism that an agreement can be reached, it’s understood that this bid was still short of the Magpies’ valuation.
This deal, along with Arsenal’s audacious pursuit of Vinicius Junior, has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks.
However, Andrade claims the North Londoners are much more advanced in negotiations for a different transfer, with an unknown centre-back reportedly closing in on a switch to the Emirates.
Arsenal Closing in on Centre-Back Signing
William Saliba had been carrying a back injury for several months before the issue ended his World Cup in France’s semi-final match against Spain. The defender hobbled off, and while he won’t need surgery, he is expected to miss multiple months of action.
Arsenal have subsequently responded by making centre-back a priority position in the transfer market, despite the noise linking them to the likes of Guimaraes and Vinicius.
Speaking on ESPN Brazil, reporter Bruno Andrarde suggested that the Gunners are actually edging closer to completing the acquisition of a short-term Saliba replacement.
“I don’t have the name here, so I can’t call it an exclusive,” Andrade said. “But speaking to someone involved in Bruno Guimarães’ situation, Arsenal are close to signing a centre-back to solve, for now, the issue created by Saliba’s injury.”
“They haven’t given me the name yet. I’m trying to find out so I can help our English colleagues too, but it’s a deal that will happen even faster than the Bruno Guimarães transfer. It’s really imminent.”
Who Could Arsenal’s Imminent Centre-Back Signing Be?
Arsenal have been linked with a number of centre-backs since news of Saliba’s prolonged absence broke.
John Stones and Ezri Konsa are the two names most prominently linked, although the former is closing in on a switch to Inter Milan, and the deal for the latter appeared too expensive and complicated for it to suddenly be imminent without any prior reporting.
Arsenal are also known to be interested in Sporting’s Zeno Debast, who would make sense given Andrade is based in Portugal. The 22-year-old defender excelled in his first two seasons in the Primeira Liga, and multiple reports have sufraced indicating that the Gunners are monitoring the Belgian.
Elsewhere, Arsenal have also been linked with the likes of Jacobo Ramon, Ivan Fresneda and Jon Martin, all of whom could be the man in question.
Sports
Thomas Muller Sets Record in MLS All Star Shooting Challenge
Thomas Muller is one of the marquee names who followed Lionel Messi to the MLS and the veteran German forward has made quite the impression.
The 36-year-old joined the Vancouver Whitecaps in August last year after bringing an end to a trophy-laden 25-year spell at Bayern Munich. While European fans knew all about his world-class ability and bubbly personality, the American fanbase have seen just how special a talent he is.
Muller’s debut season with the Caps saw him live up to expectations with 14 goals and seven assists in 32 games. If that wasn’t enough, he has now set a record at one of the MLS‘ biggest showpieces.
Thomas Muller Makes MLS History
Muller took part in the MLS All-Star Shooting Challenge, which is the main event for the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. Players are given 30 seconds per shooting round with 11 fixed targets in place valued at two, five, and 10 points, while another moving target worth 20 points is activated in the final 20 seconds.
The 2014 World Cup winner broke the record with an astounding 79 points after hitting 10 of 11 targets. This included the 20-point moving target.
You can watch Muller’s record-breaking achievement below:
The commentators were blown away and one told him:
“Thomas Muller you absolute legend… you’re the king pal.”
Football fans were also in awe, and many pointed out how the German looked to have enjoyed himself, with one writing on Reddit: “Muller is the perfect star for these games. You just know he’s having a blast.”
Another added: “Son and Muller talked about how fun they are having doing the challenges, but yet some people in Europe s*** on having fun lol.”
One wrote: “I love watching absolutely class athletes do stuff like this and remind us they’re on another level.”
Last year’s record holder, Evander of FC Cincinnati, was later given the chance to defend the previous 72-point record, and he matched Muller’s tally of 79 points. The yearly contest is heating up and is growing in popularity with fans not just in the US but around the globe.
Other top footballing names to have taken part in the past include Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz. Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min also took the challenge on after joining Los Angeles FC last summer.
⚽
World Cup History Quiz
You scored
out of 20
Muller Missed Out on MLS Cup Glory to Messi
While Muller may have picked up an individual honour by breaking the record in the MLS All-Star Shooting Challenge, he failed to win a trophy in his first season with the Caps. After helping Jesper Sorensen’s side reach the MLS Cup final, they came up against Messi’s Inter Miami.
Muller captained his new team in a 3-1 defeat to David Beckham’s co-owned Herons in December, with Messi grabbing two assists on the day. It was bittersweet for the most decorated German footballer in history, but he certainly wowed supporters during his debut campaign.
The former Bayern star has already started his sophomore season as his side drew 0-0 against Minnesota United on Sunday. The Caps next face LAFC at home on August 2nd.
-
Sports2 days agoTyson Fury and Anthony Joshua Salaries For Wach and Prenga Fights
-
Sports2 days agoFIFA ‘Confirm’ Argentina World Cup Decision After Lifetime Ban Petition Goes Viral
-
Sports2 days agoNewcastle Frontrunners to Sign Atalanta Star Giorgio Scalvini
-
Sports2 days agoTottenham’s Top Transfer Target After Savinho is Junior Kroupi
-
Sports2 days agoReal Madrid’s Potential 2026-27 Starting 11
-
Sports2 days agoTyson Fury Breaks Silence on Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga
-
Entertainment2 days agoJarvis and Peller Keep the Wedding Countdown Stylish With Another Breathtaking Aso Oke Look
-
Entertainment2 days agoWhy Owning a Fashion Brand Is Harder Than Ever in Nigeria
