Messi's brilliance overshadows recurring penalty woes

Lionel Messi famously retired from international football after skying a penalty in Argentina's Copa America final defeat a decade ago.

Ten years later, the legendary forward's struggles from the spot remain, but his brilliance continues to outweigh that weakness as he leads Argentina's bid to retain the World Cup at the age of 39.

Messi's latest penalty miss nearly proved costly as the defending champions came close to a stunning last-16 exit against Egypt on Tuesday.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner saw his spot-kick saved by Mostafa Shobeir, and goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko gave Egypt a commanding 2-0 lead with only 11 minutes left.

It marked Messi's second missed penalty of the tournament after he also failed from the spot against Austria in the group stage, making him the first player to miss more than one penalty in a single World Cup.

Combined with previous misses against Iceland in 2018 and Poland in 2022, Messi has now failed to convert four World Cup penalties—an unwanted record for one of football's greatest players.

Despite those setbacks, his overall penalty record remains respectable, having converted 116 of his 150 attempts, a success rate of 77 percent, roughly in line with the global average.

What makes those misses so striking is that they belong to a player whose career has been defined by extraordinary consistency and excellence.

His most painful penalty miss came in the 2016 Copa America Centenario final shootout against Chile. Devastated by another major final defeat, an emotional Messi announced his retirement from international football.

At that point, despite an illustrious club career with Barcelona, he had yet to lift a major trophy with Argentina and continued to face comparisons with Diego Maradona, who had guided the nation to World Cup glory.

That retirement lasted only a few months. Since then, Messi has transformed his international legacy by inspiring Argentina to two Copa America titles and ending the country's 36-year wait for a third World Cup crown in Qatar.

Against Egypt in Atlanta, however, it was tears of joy rather than despair.

Messi sparked Argentina's remarkable comeback by delivering the cross that Cristian Romero headed home before scoring the equaliser himself. The goal extended his scoring streak to eight consecutive World Cup matches and took his tally to eight goals in five games at this tournament.

Enzo Fernandez completed the comeback as Lionel Scaloni's side kept alive their hopes of defending the title.

Scaloni praised his captain's resilience after the match.

"I want the players on the bench and everyone watching to take him as an example," the Argentina coach said. "After missing the penalty and going 2-0 down, he could have given up. Instead, he demanded the ball again and kept pushing forward.

"It gives me goosebumps. But this isn't only about him. His teammates backed him brilliantly, and that spirit is what defines this group."

Even so, Argentina's vulnerabilities have been exposed during the knockout stage by determined opponents in Cape Verde and Egypt.

Scaloni's team has looked vulnerable on the counterattack, while its ageing squad has at times appeared short of energy.

More demanding challenges lie ahead, beginning with a quarter-final against Switzerland and a possible semi-final clash with England.

Yet as long as Messi continues to inspire, Argentina's dream of securing a fourth World Cup title remains very much alive.