Atlanta (AFP) – Lionel Messi once retired from international football after blasting a penalty into the American sky to lose a Copa America final 10 years ago.
Issued on: 08/07/2026 - 11:44
3 min Reading time
A decade on, Messi's problems from the spot persist on US soil, but his magic is more than masking that flaw as he continues to lead the Argentina quest for World Cup glory at the age of 39.The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's latest penalty miss left the world champions staring at a shock exit to Egypt in the last 16 on Tuesday.Either side of seeing his spot-kick saved by Mostafa Shobeir, goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko put Egypt into a 2-0 lead with just 11 minutes remaining.It was already the second time Messi had failed to net a penalty at this tournament -- he fired wide against Austria in the group stages -- becoming the only player to miss more than one in any World Cup.Adding to misses against Iceland in 2018 and Poland four years ago, Messi's failure to score four World Cup penalties is another record, but an unwanted one.
Lionel Messi has now missed four World Cup penalties © Thomas COEX / AFP
