Messi & Ronaldo Penalty Shootout Record
In penalty shootouts, Messi has scored 11 out of 13 penalties (84.6%), and Ronaldo has scored 12 out of 14 (85.7%). There's very little to separate them from 12 yards when it comes to the crunch, with both players having missed just 2 shootout penalties over their careers.
The bigger difference is in the results. Messi's teams have won 10 of the 14 shootouts he's played in, whereas Ronaldo's teams have won 9 of 19. Messi didn't take a penalty in 1 of those shootouts, and Ronaldo didn't take one in 5, either because they were scheduled further down the order or had already been subbed off.
Place in the Order
Messi has been his team's first taker in all of his 13 shootout penalties. For club and country, he steps up first to set the tone.
Ronaldo has been first taker in 5 of his 14. Earlier in his career he was usually placed further down the order, which famously backfired at Euro 2012. Ronaldo was lined up to take Portugal's 5th penalty in the semi-final against Spain, but Portugal were knocked out before he got the chance to take it. In more recent years he has more often gone first, including in both of Portugal's shootouts at Euro 2024.
Club vs Country
For Argentina, Messi has scored in 7 out of 9 shootout penalties and won 6 of 9 shootouts. For his clubs he's scored 4 out of 4, and won 4 of 5. Remarkably, none of those club shootouts came at Barcelona. He only ever played in shootouts after leaving, for Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.
For Portugal, Ronaldo has scored in 5 out of 5 shootout penalties and won 5 of 8 shootouts. For his clubs he's scored 7 out of 9, and won 4 of 11.
Shootouts in Finals
Messi has played in 4 shootouts in finals, winning 2 and losing 2, and scoring 3 out of 4 penalties. The lowest point came in the 2016 Copa America final against Chile, when he sent his penalty over the bar and Argentina lost a second consecutive Copa final on penalties. He briefly retired from international football straight afterwards. The highest point came in the 2022 World Cup final, when he scored Argentina's first penalty as they beat France 4-2 to win the World Cup.
Ronaldo has played in 9 shootouts in finals, winning 5 and losing 4, and scoring 5 out of 6 penalties. He had his penalty saved by Petr Cech in the 2008 Champions League final, but Manchester United still went on to win. He made up for it in the 2016 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid, scoring the decisive 5th penalty to win the trophy for Real Madrid.
World Cup Shootouts
Messi has been involved in 3 World Cup shootouts, and Argentina have won 3 of them, with Messi scoring 3 out of 3. Ronaldo's only World Cup shootout was the 2006 quarter-final against England, when he scored the winning penalty to send Portugal through to the semi-finals.
Streaks and Misses
Messi's longest run of scoring in consecutive shootouts is 7, and Ronaldo's is 8. Ronaldo has scored each of his last 8 shootout penalties, and hasn't missed one since 2012 against Bayern Munich.
Besides the 2016 Copa America final, Messi also missed in the 2024 Copa America quarter-final against Ecuador, where his Panenka attempt hit the crossbar. Argentina still won that one, thanks to Emiliano Martinez saving two penalties.
Besides the 2008 Champions League final, Ronaldo also missed in the 2012 Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, when Manuel Neuer saved from both Ronaldo and Kaka. Perhaps his most dramatic shootout came at Euro 2024 against Slovenia. Ronaldo had a penalty saved by Jan Oblak in extra time and was left in tears, but stepped up first in the shootout and scored, before Diogo Costa saved all three of Slovenia's penalties.
Looking for in-game penalties? Check out our Penalties section.