AJ World

The most nervy of all moments during the course of a given soccer match, is the penalty shootout, a psychological warfare: Two men, one ball and stakes that do not get much greater in soccer, a clear chance to score a goal. Over the years of world football history, penalties and missed penalties have provided memories littered with controversial and dramatic moments. A penalty is supposed to be finished at the professional level: period. Anything else is a failure.  Such a task should only be required of players made with the iciest of veins. For GKs, a penalty save is a way to distinguish themselves, shift momentum in a match and let whichever defender conceded off the hook for his mistake. This slideshow looks at some of the best penalty kick takers in the history of world football. There is no overall empirical method employed for this list. And while some of the ranking is based around numerical penalty success, there are other variables considered and gathered from watchin...