Ronaldo and Messi Join the Ranks of Great Players to Fail from the Penalty Spot

In the last two nights of enthralling Champions League semifinal action, no fewer than three Ballon d'Or winners failed from the penalty spot—Lionel Messi for Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka for Real Madrid.

For Ronaldo, it wasn't the first time he'd been denied in a high-stakes shootout. As a Manchester United player he missed in the 2008 final against Chelsea, only to be redeemed by John Terry's infamous Moscow moment and come away unscathed.

Before stepping up against Bayern Munich in the shootout, Ronaldo had scored a remarkable 25 straight spot-kicks—the most recent coming in the first half of the same match.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer guessed wrong the first time, but in the shootout he rightly assumed Ronaldo would change sides and went again to his right. Ronaldo's shot was accurate, but Neuer moved early enough to tip it away.

Then came Kaka, the 2007 Ballon d'Or winner. The Brazilian scored in AC Milan's shootout loss to Liverpool in the 2005 final, but Neuer had his number at the Bernabeu. Again the goalkeeper dived to his right and again made the save.

As for Messi, who was left in tears after his penalty miss almost certainly cost Barcelona a place in the Champions League final, his crime was not even asking Petr Cech the question. The reigning Ballon d'Or holder struck the crossbar to bring up his eighth miss from the spot in Barcelona colors.

So what happened? How is it that three players so supremely technical failed where others far less gifted prevailed?

Before we answer that question, let's take a look back at other examples in football history where the world's best have been found wanting from 12 yards in pressure situations.

• Zico, 1986 World Cup quarterfinal
• Socrates, 1986 World Cup quarterfinal penalty shootout
• Michel Platini, 1986 World Cup quarterfinal penalty shootout
• Diego Maradona, 1990 World Cup quarterfinal penalty shootout
• Marco van Basten, 1992 European Championships semifinal penalty shootout
• Roberto Baggio and Franco Baresi, 1994 World Cup final penalty shootout
• Dennis Bergkamp, 1999 FA Cup semifinal
• Paolo Maldini, Euro 2000 semifinal penalty shootout
• David Beckham, Euro 2004 quarterfinal penalty shootout
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Euro 2004 quarterfinal penalty shootout
• Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko, 2005 Champions League final penalty shootout
• Cristiano Ronaldo, 2008 Champions League final penalty shootout

Quite a list I'm sure you'll agree, so how do we explain it?

We should first consider these players were all defining members and, in different ways, on-field leaders for their teams. With that comes additional pressure and a feeling of supreme responsibility.

How many times in recent years have Barcelona relied on Messi, and Madrid on Ronaldo? The same was of course true of Maradona with Argentina, Platini with France and Beckham with England—and every other player on the list.

During the flow of normal play, such responsibility can be a joy to carry. It fills the player in question with overflowing confidence and self-belief. Messi and Ronaldo know what they're capable of and thrive in their respective roles as match winners-elect.

But facing the isolation of a penalty kick, knowing that everybody expects you, especially you, to score, that added responsibility can be a curse.

Another factor to consider is the familiarity that comes with being a high-profile player and go-to penalty taker. Ronaldo has taken countless penalties for Madrid, Manchester United and Portugal, so it's likely Neuer has watched his routine many times over.

Armed with that knowledge it becomes far easier for a goalkeeper to predict which way the player will go and what type of strike he'll employ.

Perversely, when Iker Casillas faced Bastian Schweinsteiger last night he had no reference point whatsoever and could only go on instinct. So while Schweinsteiger might not be as practiced from the spot (all Germans are practiced, I know), he stepped up with the element of surprise firmly on his side.

This is where is gets really interesting and we enter into penalty-poker territory for the game's best players.

Ronaldo knew Neuer had watched him take many penalties. He also knew where he'd placed the majority of them. And as we entered shootout territory there was the added intrigue of Ronaldo having already beaten Neuer in normal time from the spot.

So it was a lot more complicated for Ronaldo than it was for Schweinsteiger. Rather than just thinking about where he'd place his shot, he had to consider which way Neuer would guess he was going to place it.

As it turns out, Neuer assumed he'd change sides. The German was right.

Messi's miss against Chelsea can also be put down to mind games. Rather than pick a side, the Argentine decided his best option was to find the top corner and leave Cech with no chance whatsoever of making the save.

It was a bold approach, one that perhaps only a player of Messi's ability could adopt with an assured sense it would pay off. You could argue he fell victim to his own talent. Had he played safe, he probably would have scored.

But like Ronaldo, Messi had much to ponder.

Perhaps that's the reason why so many of the game's greats have missed important penalty kicks over the years? They simply have more to think about than their teammates.

It won't be of much consolation to Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka, but at least in they're in good company.