Argentina's captain Lionel Messi has once again written his name into football history, though this record is one he would rather not have.
During the Round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi missed his fourth career World Cup penalty (excluding shootouts), making him the player with the most missed penalties in the tournament's history. The miss came in the 21st minute in Atlanta, after Enzo Fernández was fouled inside Egypt's box, earning Argentina the spot-kick. Egypt had taken an early lead through a header from defender Yasser Ibrahim, and Messi's penalty — struck low to his right — was saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
The miss was Messi's second of the tournament, following an earlier missed penalty during the group stage against Austria, and made him the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties at a single edition, outside of shootouts. His two previous World Cup misses came against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022.
Despite the setback, Messi responded in dramatic fashion. Argentina trailed 2-0 in the match before storming back to win 3-2, with Messi himself scoring to help complete the comeback and send Argentina through to the quarterfinals. The goal also pushed his career World Cup tally to a tournament-leading mark this year, keeping him at the top of the race for the Golden Boot alongside Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
Guinness World Records confirmed the milestone on X (formerly Twitter), noting that Messi is now the player with the most missed penalties — four — in World Cup history, with no other player having missed more than two.
Speaking after the match, Messi reflected candidly on the miss, saying he had been frustrated with himself for the poor strike, but was relieved the team had turned the situation around to secure the win.
The 2026 tournament has generally seen a dip in penalty conversion rates across the board, with the overall success rate from the spot reported to be one of the lowest at a World Cup in decades — a trend that has fueled debate over whether Argentina should consider a different designated penalty taker for future matches, even as Messi continues to anchor the team's push for a second consecutive title.
