Lionel Messi Talks Penalty Record, Says He Must Improve from the Spot

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has opened up on his poor penalty record and his determination to improve it.

In recent years, the Blaugrana icon's record from the spot has been sketchy. When asked what area of his game could get better, Messi said it was his record from 12 yards, per Jacob Murtagh of the Daily Mirror.

"The penalties. I'd like to be more effective," he said on Monday. "... It's very difficult. It's not the same to practice them as it is to take them in a game. There are a lot of other factors at play. You can have a plan or have an idea about what to do, but when the moment comes it's much more difficult to do it than it looks."

As noted by Murtagh, Messi has converted 71 of the 88 penalties he has taken throughout his career.

The most recent lapse from the spot came at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, when Messi saw his effort stopped by Hannes Halldorsson against Iceland for Argentina in a disappointing 1-1 draw in the opening round of the group stage.

The 31-year-old also credited the work done by goalkeepers, saying some of his recent unsuccessful efforts would've been goals in years gone by.

Although Messi is Barcelona's regular penalty-taker, the Barca No. 10 allowed his team-mate Luis Suarez to take a penalty despite Messi being on a hat-trick during Sunday's 8-2 win over Huesca:

While Messi's record from the spot may be questionable, his impact on matches remains enormous.

The forward not only scores crucial goals for Barcelona, he creates chances for team-mates too. Last season, Messi scored 34 goals and laid on 12 assists as the Catalan giants dominated La Liga; this term he already has four goals and two assists from three outings.

His troubles from the spot are also somewhat masked by his prowess from other dead-ball situations. These figures show that there was nobody better than Messi from free-kicks last season:

Despite highlighting this one weakness, Messi remains the greatest in many people's opinion. Former England striker Gary Lineker was surprised the Barca man wasn't included in the shortlist for FIFA's Best Men's Player Award on Monday:

After winning a La Liga and Copa del Rey double, you suspect all eyes will be on the UEFA Champions League for Barcelona this season, especially as they exited last season following a dramatic collapse against Roma having won the first leg 4-1 at home.

Messi, of course, will be key to their hopes, and if a high-pressure penalty does need to be taken, he will likely still be trusted with the responsibility.