Football is often seen as a sport decided by the smallest margins, and nowhere is that more evident than from the penalty spot. What should be an advantage can quickly turn into a nightmare, with a single kick capable of shaping careers, defining legacies, and altering football history.
From World Cup finals to major continental tournaments, Planet Football has identified the penalty misses that caused the deepest pain.
- Kingsley Coman – 2022 World Cup Final
France’s loss to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final is remembered mainly for Lionel Messi’s triumph, but for Kingsley Coman, it carries a different meaning.
He was not part of France’s 2018 success, and four years later, with the trophy at stake, he failed from the spot during the shootout. The pressure was immense and the margins unforgiving.
Now playing in Saudi Arabia, Coman may never get another chance at football’s ultimate prize.
- Aurélien Tchouaméni – 2022 World Cup Final
Still young and expected to be central to France’s future, Tchouaméni’s miss remains a painful reminder that World Cup opportunities are never guaranteed.
In the final against Argentina in Lusail, Qatar, he took France’s second penalty after the match ended 3–3 following extra time. Under intense pressure, his effort drifted wide, handing Argentina an early edge in the shootout and marking one of the toughest moments of his career.
- Mohamed Salah – 2022 World Cup Play-Off
Mohamed Salah’s reputation as a dependable penalty taker made Egypt’s exit even more heartbreaking.
At the 2021 AFCON final, he was slated to take the fifth penalty but never got the chance. Weeks later, Egypt faced Senegal again in a World Cup play-off. Determined to step up, Salah did so — and missed.
Amid laser lights and chaos, Egypt fell short once more. For a player of Salah’s calibre, missing out on the World Cup remains one of football’s cruelest blows.
- Jadon Sancho – Euro 2020 Final
England’s defeat on penalties at Euro 2020 was overshadowed by racist abuse, but for Jadon Sancho, it also marked a turning point.
Unlike Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, Sancho struggled to recover. A high-profile move to Manchester United followed, yet the electrifying winger seen at Borussia Dortmund never consistently re-emerged. Since that miss against Italy, his England career has stalled.
- David Trezeguet – 2006 World Cup Final
The 2006 World Cup final is often remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt, but David Trezeguet’s miss was decisive.
His penalty struck the crossbar in Berlin, ending France’s hopes. Having already won the World Cup in 1998 eased the pain somewhat, though the moment still lingers in football memory.
- John Terry – 2008 Champions League Final
Rain, a slip, and heartbreak defined Chelsea’s night in Moscow.
John Terry was not meant to be among the first five penalty takers, but Didier Drogba’s red card changed the script. Terry’s miss denied Chelsea their maiden Champions League title, a moment he later admitted haunted him for years. Redemption came in 2012, but the image of that slip remains iconic.
- Stuart Pearce – 1990 World Cup Semi-Final
Stuart Pearce carried the weight of his miss against West Germany for six years.
When he scored at Euro ’96, the emotion was unmistakable.
“For me, failure wouldn’t have been to miss again,” Pearce later said. “Failure would have been not to try.”
Few moments better illustrate football’s mental toll.
- Gareth Southgate – Euro ’96 Semi-Final
Before England’s long history of shootout failures, there was Gareth Southgate.
His miss against Germany at Wembley sparked decades of penalty heartbreak. England exited four straight major tournaments on penalties before finally ending the curse in 2018 — with Southgate as manager.
- Brahim Díaz – 2025 AFCON Final
This miss already feels legendary.
At home, in a long-awaited final, with victory close, Brahim Díaz attempted a panenka and failed. The stadium’s belief evaporated instantly, and Senegal’s extra-time victory felt inevitable. It was another reminder that bravery and arrogance often look the same until the ball stops.
- Roberto Baggio – 1994 World Cup Final
There could only be one.
Roberto Baggio’s miss in Pasadena remains the most haunting penalty in football history — the silence, the stage, the ball sailing into the night.
“If I had had a knife at that moment, I would have stabbed myself,” Baggio later admitted.
No other moment captures the crushing weight of a single kick better than that one miss which forever defined a legacy.