He's missed again!?
We all asked ourselves that question after Riyad Mahrez failed to score another penalty on Tuesday evening. The Manchester City winger's tame spot kick was saved by Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel in the goalless draw at the Westfalenstadion.
The miss didn't cost Pep Guardiola's side, as a point was enough to secure top spot in their Champions League group. Yet it was still another howler for Mahrez, who seems to constantly waste penalties. But is the Algeria international the worst penalty taker in the Premier League? Here, Mirror Football looks at the damning data of those who have taken at least 10 spot-kicks to find out.
Teddy Sheringham - 68 per cent (success rate)
A surprise name in the top 10. Teddy Sheringham is remembered as one of the Premier League's greatest scorers, finding the net 146 times in 418 appearances in the competition. He was also trusted from the spot, taking 31 penalties during his Premier League career.
Yet Sheringham's conversation rate wasn't the best, finding the net just 21 times. He even missed a penalty on his Premier League debut for Manchester United against his ex-club Tottenham in August 1997, although he made up for it by scoring two late goals.
Wayne Rooney - 68 per cent
Another shock inclusion. Wayne Rooney is the second-highest scorer in Premier League history with 208 goals, but he would've been closer to Alan Shearer's tally of 260 if he was more prolific from the spot. Rooney missed a joint-record 11 penalties in the competition.
Who do you think the worst penalty taker in Premier League history is? Let us know in the comments below!
In fairness to Rooney, he does share that record with Shearer. He also took a whopping 34 penalties in the Premier League. Rooney's greatest penalty miss came for Man Utd against Chelsea in September 2011 when he slipped to blaze an effort way over the bar.
Christian Benteke - 67 per cent
Often mocked for going months without scoring a goal, Christian Benteke isn't the best penalty taker - missing a third of his 15 efforts in the Premier League. He's not faring much better at DC United, either, seeing a spot kick saved on his full debut in September.
Benteke's most memorable miss came against Bournemouth in December 2017 when he went against the orders of Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson and wrestled the ball of a team-mate to take a last-minute penalty, only to see his effort saved in the 2-2 draw.
Riyad Mahrez - 67 per cent
And here he is. Mahrez seems to take a lot of penalties for Man City and the stats suggest it's time for Guardiola to have a word. He's scored 12 of his 18 spot kicks in the Premier League, with only five players boasting a worst success rate (minimum 10 penalties taken).
Mahrez is also known for missing penalties in big games. He did so in Man City's 2-2 draw against West Ham in May (bad timing considering their title charge) and blazed a spot kick over in a goalless draw against title rivals Liverpool in October 2018.
Michael Owen - 67 per cent
It's hard to picture Michael Owen taking a penalty, as most people remember him for his rapid pace and his daughter being on Love Island. Yet the former England hero did take a spot kick every now and again, scoring 14 of his 21 efforts in the Premier League.
"After missing 10 out of 23 penalties for the Reds [in all competitions], Michael Owen won’t be troubling LFC TV's Kop 10 list of Liverpool's most prolific spot-kick takers," read a sassy social media post by Liverpool in 2010... when Owen was a Man Utd player.
Paul Pogba - 64 per cent
Speaking of Man Utd players who can't score from the spot, Paul Pogba's penalty record in the Premier League is pretty rubbish - scoring just seven of his 11 attempts. It's no surprise he didn't take that many spot kicks during his time at Old Trafford.
Pogba's most memorable miss came against Everton in October 2018 when he produced an 11-second run-up - literally taking tiny steps towards the ball - only to find Jordan Pickford's left arm. The Frenchman did make it up for it by scoring the rebound, though.
Kevin Phillips - 61 per cent
Kevin Phillips scored 282 goals during his glittering career and won the European Golden Shoe after finding the net 30 times during the 1999/00 campaign, although his penalty record wasn't the best. He scored just 11 of his 18 Premier League spot kicks.
Yet Phillips did score penalties when it mattered, famously tucking away a winner in the 2013 Championship play-off final against Watford to send Palace into the Premier League. Selhurst Park has remained a top-flight ground ever since.
Dwight Yorke - 60 per cent
Dwight Yorke found the net 123 times in the Premier League for Aston Villa, Man Utd, Blackburn, Birmingham City and Sunderland, but that tally could've been higher if he could score from 12 yards out. The ex-striker scored only six of his 10 Premier League penalties.
Yet Villa fans will struggle to forget Yorke's audacious spot kick against Arsenal in May 1998, as he produced a 'Panenka' to chip the ball over a helpless David Seaman. After you've scored a penalty that good, do you really need to score another?
Steed Malbranque - 60 per cent
Fans of Sky Sports' hit TV show the Premier League years will always remember Steed Malbranque, a stalwart of the division who played for Fulham, Tottenham and Sunderland for a decade. But penalties were never the Frenchman's strong point.
Malbranque scored just six of his 10 spot kicks. After his miss for Sunderland against Stoke in November 2010, manager Steve Bruce said: "I had my doubts because I don’t think Steed has scored in two years. It is fair to say he won’t be taking anymore."
Juan Pablo Angel - 50 per cent
Remembered as the worst penalty taker in Premier League history, Juan Pablo Angel scored only five of his 10 penalties in the competition during his six-and-a-bit-year spell at Villa. He was a decent striker for the West Midlands club - just not from 12 yards.
There aren't many memorable misses from Angel, yet the fact he only scored half of his Premier League penalties can't be overlooked. For those of you wondering, only one player has a 100 per cent record in the competition (minimum 10 penalties) - Yaya Toure. The Man City legend converted all 11 of his efforts. Ivan Toney is well on his way as well having nonchalantly stroked home his first eight. That's how you do it.
