13 Jun Socceroos pair top World Cup penalty charts

The excitement, the tension, the stakes; just a few components that will make the World Cup 2018 such exciting football to watch.

With so much on the line, every goal will make a difference, with that making each penalty an opportunity to shift the odds and earn a potential win.

But are those penalties down to sheer luck or is there more strategy involved?

Over 300 penalties were analysed, including career statistics from 22 penalty takers and 11 goalkeepers.

Of the 22 players analysed, Australia’s Mile Jedinak is the only player to successfully convert every penalty taken in his career, as evidenced by data collected by JD Sports Football.

Other players good career conversion rates (beating both Ronaldo and Messi even) include: Olivier Giroud, Marco Reus, Aaron Mooy, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eden Hazard.

The 2018 Football Writers & PFA player of the year Mohamed Salah statistically has a better career conversion rate than Lionel Messi but slightly worse conversion rate than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi has also missed the most penalties of all the players analysed in total.

Of the 22 penalty takers analysed in our survey, Mile Jedinak has the best career penalty conversion rate (100%;) scoring all 15 of his penalties taken.

Jedinak has a better penalty conversion rate than some of the world’s greatest soccer players, including: Cristiano Ronaldo (84%,) Lionel Messi (77%,) Eden Hazard (87%,) Mohamed Salah (83%,) Luis Suárez (77%) Neymar (81%,) and Zlatan Ibrahimović (87%.)

An impressive statistic for the current Aston Villa man.

Despite some of the bigger names like Ronaldo, Messi and Ibrahimović taking significantly more career penalties than Jedinak, he has a perfect career penalty conversion rate.

If they get a penalty in the group stage or take part in a penalty shootout during the knockout stages, Socceroos fans should be confident, as Jedinak always delivers.

Statistically based on his career penalty conversion rate Aaron Mooy is the 4th best penalty taker we analysed out of 22 internationals.

Meaning the Socceroos have two players in the top 5 best penalty takers based on conversion rate.

Boasting an impressive career conversion rate of 90% only Marco Reus (91%,) Olivier Giroud (94%,) and Mooy’s Australian team mate Mile Jedinak (100%) have better career penalty conversion rates.

Out of the 11 International Goalkeepers analysed in our survey Mathew Ryan has the best career penalty save rate (37%.) Ryan has saved 11 of the 30 penalties he has faced which is very impressive.

Based on current form and the last 10 penalties faced, statistically Mathew Ryan is the 2nd best goalkeeper with a penalty save rate of 40%.

Ryan has saved 4 of the last 10 penalties faced and only Manchester City’s Ederson has a better penalty save rate (50%,) saving 5 out of his last 10 penalties faced.

Article and content provided by JD Sports Football.

Catch 1116 SEN’s Road To Russia – a one hour show dedicated to covering all the action from the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Join former Socceroos striker Josh Kennedy and host Jack Heverin each night from 7:00pm.

Source: SEN Football