Taking Penalties may look reasonably easy while sitting at home during the coronavirus pandemic, but when the crucial moment arrives the pressure and expectations of fans do put a lot of pressure on the players. It is one of the most nerve-wracking moments in the game when a player is about to take a penalty. If a player scores from the spot, he becomes an instant hero, on the other hand, a spot-kick miss may turn the player into a villain easily. This proves that taking penalties isn’t at all an easy job. There have been players to pay in the UK that made a name for themselves and became some of the best penalty takers in the Premier League.
Here are 6 of the best penalty takers in the Premier League since its inception in 1992:
1. Alan Shearer:
Clubs played – Southampton, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers
Penalties scored – 56
Shearer spent the majority of his career playing for the Magpies. He spent a decade at St. James Park and retired in 2006 by scoring 10 goals in his final season. He has scored the most penalties in the Premier League (56) and has a great lead from 2nd placed Ray Stewart. Apart from penalties, he also holds the record for most goals scored (260) in the Premier League. He also holds the record for most Premier League hat tricks (11).
2. Frank Lampard:
Clubs played – Chelsea, West Ham, Manchester City
Penalties scored – 43
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was the penalty taker at Chelsea during his 13-year spell at Stamford Bridge despite being a midfielder. He has scored 43 penalties and is only second to Alan Shearer in the list. Ray Stewart has scored more penalties than Lampard but he doesn’t feature in our list as he hasn’t played since the Premier League era and the list focuses on the Premier League. Lampard scored a total of 52 penalties in his career and enjoyed a conversion rate of around 92 per cent.
3. Matt Le Tissier:
Clubs played – Southampton
Penalties scored – 38
Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier, also called ‘Matt Le God’ by fans, has been touted as one of the most efficient penalty takers of all time. He had an incredible record and still remains one of the greatest penalty records in the history of football. He had a conversion rate of over 95% which is a truly remarkable record. Le Tissier in his interview has said this numerous times, that he did not have any specific tactics to score a penalty, he just loved smashing the ball into the back of the net. He scored 48 penalties in his career spanning 16 years.
4. John Wark:
Clubs played – Ipswich Town, Liverpool, Middlesbrough
Penalties scored – 32
Former Scottish midfielder John Wark had a glorious 22-year playing career. He mostly played for Ipswich in three different tenures and played for Liverpool and Middlesbrough in between. He has scored 32 penalty goals in English top-flight. He was inducted into Ipswich’s Hall of Fame in 2007 due to his contributions for the club.
5. Steven Gerrard:
Clubs played – Liverpool
Penalties scored – 31
Gerrard has featured 473 times for the Reds and holds the record for most games played for Liverpool. He is still the club’s top-scorer in the Champions League with 30 goals despite playing as a midfielder. He has scored 31 penalties in the Premier League in his career spanning 17 years. He absolutely loved hitting the top corner of the net with his greatest strength being the ability to generate a serious pace while striking the ball. His penalty conversion rate was nearly 92%.
6. Peter Beardsley:
Clubs played – Newcastle United, Liverpool, Everton, Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, Fulham
Penalties scored – 30
Peter Beardsley played as a forward and a midfielder in his 16-year Premier League career. The English superstar was lethal when it came to scoring from the penalty spot. He just never looked under any sort of pressure when he was about to take a penalty. His placement was exemplary and more often than not found the back of the net and scored for his side. He scored 30 penalties for various clubs.
Here is the list of Best Penalty Takers of all Time in the history of Football
