Mahrez, Rooney, Owen: Who is the worst penalty taker in Premier League history? | OneFootball

Riyad Mahrez’s name is in the headlines again for the wrong reasons after another penalty miss in Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last night.

It is the second consecutive Champions League group game that the Algerian has scuffed his lines from 12 yards out, and the second consecutive scoreless game for City in the competition. The fine line between two points becoming six.

While Mahrez now seems to have an issue with penalty kicks, and City do as a whole, his Premier League record pales in comparison to the very worst penalty takers in the competition’s history, with six men having a lower percentage of successful kicks than the former PFA Player of the Year.

and it makes for some interesting viewing… well as long as you’re not one of the 10 players on it or a family member.

The rules for inclusion are that a player must have taken at least 10 penalties in the Premier League, but for most you wonder how they ever got to that figure given their lack of success from the spot.

Mahrez finds himself nestled in seventh place, level with Christian Benteke and Michael Owen on 67% but ahead of the Belgian and behind the Englishman in the list due to the total number of penalties taken and missed – six misses from 18 to Benteke’s five from 15 and Owen’s seven from 21.

Mahrez’s six misses have been split 2-4 between Manchester City and Leicester City, with his two misses for City being high-profile. The first came in the October 2018 when he skied a late penalty at Anfield with the scores at 0-0 – the two sides ended up in a final day title race as a result.

VIDEO: Mahrez skies a penalty against Liverpool in October 2018

His second and most recent Premier League miss for City also was almost decisive in the title race, as he missed the chance to put his team 3-2 in front against West Ham at the London Stadium in May of this year. City still won the title (by a point again) but it could have all been so much more straightforward.

Mahrez is joined in the hall of shame by some other Premier League legends, notably just ahead of Wayne Rooney and Teddy Sheringham, both of whom were regular if wayward penalty takers during their careers (68% success), capable of high-pressure finishes but also some howlers from time to time.

Ahead of Mahrez are the likes of Juan Pablo Angel (50%), Steed Malbranque (60%), Dwight Yorke (61%), Kevin Phillips (64%), Paul Pogba (67%) but only Phillips has taken more than 11 penalties – the Sunderland legend has 7 misses from 18 spot kicks.

Angel’s 50:50 record from 12 yards is by far the worst in league history and was significantly impacted by a double penalty miss in a 1-1 draw with Fulham in February 2005.

That stat is unlikely to make Mahrez feel any better about his recent spot-kick misery, and he’s unlikely to get a chance anytime soon to make up for his recent misses. Pep Guardiola looks set to find a new second-choice taker behind Erling Haaland to combat City’s miserable record under his stewardship – 25 misses from 80 penalties.

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