The 10 football players with the most penalty kicks since 2000

More than a quarter of his goals have come from the penalty spot, with 24% of his overall goals coming from the penalty spot. It's a great return for the Italian, who shows no signs of slowing down despite his increasing age.

8. Francesco Totti, 86 penalty kicks

As a man known for his immense loyalty, Francesco Totti has spent his entire career representing Roma and he has scored many goals for the club. For club and country, he took a total of 86 penalties, which accounted for more than a quarter of all his goals in front of goal.

Throughout his career, 27% of the Italian's 572 goals came from penalty kicks. It's the second-highest percentage of total free throw returns on this list. His penalty kicks have become a favorite with Roma fans over the years and it's easy to see why.

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 87 free throws

Known for his bold personality and incredible confidence, it's easy to forget that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is actually a very good football player who always supports his team with impressive performances on the pitch. No one has been more praised by Swedes over the years, and he has earned it by rarely fouling out of the penalty spot.

Over the years, he has scored 87 penalties for teams such as AC Milan, Manchester United and Barcelona. They account for 15% of his total goals, with Ibrahimovic scoring 572 times in his 24-year career.

6. Robert Lewandowski, 88 penalty kicks

There is only one penalty kick in front of Ibrahimovic from another striker who has aged like fine wine and scored many goals in his 30s, that is Robert Lewandowski. Wherever he plays, goals will follow and at the age of 37 he is still playing at a very high level for Barcelona.

Lewandowski has a total of 701 goals in his career, and only 13% of his goals came from penalty kicks. If he had taken more penalties regularly during his career with Dortmund, Bayern Munich and now Barcelona, ​​he might have scored more goals, which is scary.

5. Neymar, 91 penalty kicks

The Brazilian has also made 91 penalty kicks in the past few years. First breaking out at Santos, he shone with the Brazilian national team, Barcelona, ​​and Paris Saint-Germain club teams.

He scored 445 goals throughout his career, 20% of which came from penalty kicks. Playing alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for most of his career, Neymar would otherwise have had more penalty-kick opportunities.

4. Harry Kane, 96 penalty kicks

As England and Tottenham Hotspur's all-time leading scorer, Harry Kane is no stranger to penalty kicks and has been a regular on the spot throughout his career. He has been a goalscoring machine for years and now he is a Bayern Munich player who is excelling in Germany. Kane has 491 career goals, 20% of which come from penalty kicks.

3. Lionel Messi, 114 penalty kicks

Considered the greatest football player of all time, Lionel Messi is also one of the most prolific penalty kick shooters in the 21st century. The Argentine is significantly ahead of third-placed Kane with 114 penalty kicks scored throughout the 21st century. Whether at Barcelona, ​​Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan or the Argentina national team, he never had much trouble scoring in a game, but penalties accounted for only 13% of his incredible total tally.

Although Messi has scored 114 penalties, he has scored 892 goals over the years, and no one has as high a proportion of penalty kicks as him.

2. Hulk, 119 penalty kicks

Hulk leads Messi with five penalty kicks and ranks second. The striker was known for his incredible pace and brutal power but never quite reached the pinnacle of football. Although he has been a fan favorite for many years, he has never played in Europe's top five leagues, but he has always done well wherever he has gone.

This includes penalties, where the Hulk scored 119 goals. This accounts for 27% of his total goals, with the Brazilian scoring 447 times in his career.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, 179 penalty kicks

As the top scorer in football history, it is natural for Cristiano Ronaldo to shine in his impressive penalty kicks. His composure with penalties ensured that he regularly became the team's first penalty taker wherever he played, and he ended up scoring 179 times from the penalty spot throughout his career. That's significantly ahead of second place. Some fans accuse Ronaldo of sometimes relying on penalty kicks to increase his goal tally, but with a total of 952 goals scored over the years, the Portuguese superstar's penalty kicks accounted for only 19%. Interestingly, he is also the one who has missed the most penalties since 2001.