10. Wayne Rooney, Manchester United vs. Arsenal, 2010
A beautiful run from Rooney against Arsenal to begin our countdown. Even though it was just another Premier League match, the Manchester United skipper should have done better.
9. Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich
During the decisive penalty shootout against German giants Bayern Munich, Real Madrid’s trusted stalwart Sergio Ramos blasted his penalty over the bar to allow Bastian Schweinsteiger to send his side through to the Champions League final.
8. Messi, Barcelona vs. Chelsea
With Chelsea down to 10 men following captain John Terry’s sending off, it was only a matter of time until Barcelona got their all important third goal in front of an expectant Camp Nou to send themselves through to the Champions League final. The perfect opportunity came with the home side earning a penalty, but Lionel Messi could only find the woodwork and the Blues would eventually hold out before scoring themselves to set up a final against Bayern in Munich.
7. Arjen Robben
It was almost as if Chelsea had the luck of the football gods that season in the Champions League. Not only had a last minute Didier Drogba header forced extra time, but Dutch talisman Arjen Robben then missed a penalty afterwards. Petr Cech’s scrambled save gave his side the impetus to win the competition in Bayern’s backyard and it would be more penalty misery on the night for the Germans, with Drogba converting the decisive spot kick to hand the Blues the win.
6. David Beckham
Becks took his responsibility as skipper of England and regular spot-kick taker by going first in the shootout against Portugal in the quarter finals of Euro 2004, with the game finishing 2-2 after 120 minutes. The midfielder blasted way over the bar, looking back to the penalty spot itself as to why his attempt failed to hit the target.
5. Andriy Shevchenko
At the time, Andriy Shevchenko was probably the best striker in the world. Yet, having seen his side get pegged back from 3-0 up and Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek somehow stopping a glorious chance of the Ukrainian’s in extra time, Sheva’s confidence may well have been shot by the time his penalty came around. With Dudek again in his way, the Milan striker produced a tame effort to hand the Reds the Champions League and bring an end to one of the most memorable finals in recent history.
4. Sadio Mane
Mane’s Senegal team were the favorites to win the AFCON 2017, until he ended that dream with his penalty kick. Personally, I think he was happy to miss the penalty, in order to return to a Liverpool team who had never won a match in his absence.
3. David Trezeguet
After Zidane’s famous head butt, the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy went ahead to penalties. With Italy putting away all five spot kicks, Trezeguet’s effort that crashed against the bar and out proved as costly as they come and denied France a second World Cup success.
2. John Terry, Chelsea vs. Manchester United
The script was written for him. John Terry, the loyal captain of Chelsea, had the chance to deliver the Champions League to his side for the first time in their history by simply converting a penalty against Manchester United in the shootout. Yet, in what is now an unforgettable moment in football history, the English centre back slipped on the wet Moscow surface and missed his spot kick, with the Red Devils going on to be victorious in front of a tearful Terry.
1. Asamoah Gyan
A real heartbreaking miss ended Ghana’s World Cup dreams in 2010, and the Ghanaian captain has admitted that he has never fully recovered from this moment. Right at the end of extra time, Gyan had a chance to send Ghana through to the semis with a penalty kick, after Luis Suarez handled the ball on the line and saw red.
