Cristiano Ronaldo breaks unwanted record previously held by Lionel Messi in Portugal's win against Ireland

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has broken an unwanted record of missing the most penalties in football history, surpassing Lionel Messi's record. This occurred during Portugal's narrow 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Saturday, October 11.

A Selecao were awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute following a handball inside the box by Dara O'Shea. With the scores level at 0-0, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the spot. However, former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made a brilliant save two minutes later to deny the 40-year-old. Fortunately for Portugal, Ruben Neves scored the winner in the first minute of stoppage time to spare Ronaldo's blushes.

Cristiano Ronaldo broke Lionel Messi's record following his penalty blunder and has now missed 34 penalties in his storied career, including four in the past year. However, the former's record of scoring the most penalties remains intact, having netted 177 out of his 211 spot-kicks, with an excellent conversion rate of 83.8 percent (via MSN).

Lionel Messi had previously recorded the most penalty misses with 32, but is currently second on the list. The Argentine ace has scored 113 out of his 145 spot-kicks, with a lower conversion rate of 77.9 percent. Neymar (22 misses), Francesco Totti (20), Ciro Immobile (19), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (17), and Ronaldinho (16) make up the rest of the list.

---

"He is the greatest player of all time" - Mason Greenwood chooses his GOAT between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Marseille winger Mason Greenwood believes Lionel Messi is the greatest of all time over Cristiano Ronaldo due to his feats for Barcelona and Argentina. His comments arrived earlier this week, despite having played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United during the 2021-22 campaign.

During an interview with the club's media, Greenwood stated (via Yahoo Sports):

“Messi, he is the greatest player of all time."

This isn't the first time Greenwood made this decision, as during a Q&A session in 2021, he once said:

“For me, it’s always got to be Messi. For me, he’s just on another planet. “Ronaldo is obviously amazing, a physical, great athletic footballer. But to do what Messi does at his size, what he’s done for Barcelona and winning that trophy for Argentina, he is just on another level.”

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the GOAT debate for well over a decade. Moreover, they are still flourishing and are expected to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite being in the twilight years of their careers. Ronaldo represents Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Messi plies his trade for MLS club Inter Miami.

Edited by Silas Sud