On the spot: 50 of the most famous – and infamous – Panenka penalties of all time

It is 50 years since Antonin Panenka won the European Championship for Czechoslovakia with the most audacious penalty ever taken. His signature chip wasn’t instantly eponymous. A search of the British newspaper archives shows that it was barely mentioned until Francesco Totti dusted it off for the internet generation at Euro 2000.

It was at least another decade before Panenka was commonly used as a noun, and it did not have its own Wikipedia page until 2014, but in 2026 every football fan has an idea of what it means. The 50th anniversary is the perfect time to remember 50 of the most famous – and infamous – attempts.

A Panenka is in the eye of the beholder. Ben Lyttleton, doyen of penalties and author of the superb Twelve Yards, asked the man himself what constituted a true Panenka. Their criteria is strict, based on the line of the ball, its trajectory and where it hits the net. But that disqualifies, among others, Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final (“This penalty is the obvious misuse of the Panenka classification!”), so we’ve used a looser definition. If the ball was kissed rather than kicked, the penalty is eligible. Rob Smyth

Antonin Panenka, 1976

Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany (5-3 pens)

This one needs no introduction. RS

Antonin Panenka, 1979

Czechoslovakia 2-0 France

The next high-profile Panenka came almost three years after Belgrade, when he fooled the France keeper Dominique Dropsy with a sensual chip in a vital European Championship qualifier. Czechoslovakia ultimately pipped an emerging France – Michel Platini et al – and finished third at Euro 80. RS

Diego Maradona, 1984

Napoli training

Most of Diego Maradona’s penalties were high-wire acts, Panenkas in spirit, with the ball pointedly passed nowhere near the corner to ensure maximum vaccination. We can’t find any examples of him taking an actual Panenka in a professional game, so we’re including one he took in training at Napoli. Two reasons: one, it’s Maradona; and two, the arc of his penalty shouldn’t be possible. But then we’d already seen him do it in open play. RS

Eric Cantona, 1989

Bordeaux 1-1 Beauvais (3-4 pens)

In February 1989, Eric Cantona was famed more for attitude than ability, having served bans for a tackle of comic-book violence, insulting the France coach, and greeting a friendly substitution by blootering the ball into crowd and tossing his shirt. So Marseille loaned him to Bordeaux and, when a cup game against lower-division Beauvais went to penalties, he went last. Juggling his way to the spot, he tried a Panenka, but the effort held up in the wind before landing in a puddle, allowing the keeper, who’d gone the wrong way, to wander over and pick it up, confirming the upset. Daniel Harris

Gianluca Vialli, 1990

Monaco 2-2 Sampdoria

In the 20th century, certainly in England, a Panenka was generally referred to as a “cheeky chip”. It was also a favourite of a cheeky chap. Gianluca Vialli scored several for Sampdoria, often under extreme pressure: against Genoa in the Scudetto-winning season of 1990-91, and twice during Samp’s Cup Winners’ Cup triumph of 1989-90. The first was against Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, the second in the first leg of the semi-final against Arsène Wenger’s Monaco. Vialli scored two goals in four minutes that night, then two in three when Sampdoria beat Anderlecht 2-0 in the final. RS

Michal Bilek, 1990

Czechoslovakia 5-1 USA

It’s neat that another Czech player was the first to try a Panenka at a World Cup, even if the circumstances were completely different. Czechoslovakia were 4-1 up in a group game against the USA when Michal Bilek, who had already scored one orthodox penalty, tried to pay tribute to 1976. He fluffed it. After making a simple save, the USA keeper Tony Meola barked: “Get that shit outta here!” RS

Gary Lineker, 1992

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Tottenham

Nobody ever talks about the Panenkas that Gary Lineker scored. There were at least three for Tottenham, and we’re pretty sure he’s the first serial Panenka-er in English football. The first completed a hat-trick on live TV – a big deal back in 1990 – and led to a brief post-match discussion in which only one of Elton Welsby and Glenn Hoddle knew about the Euro 76 final. Lineker also scored “a nifty little Panenka”, as he put it, in a Rumbelows Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. This one was particularly sweet – the keeper was Mark Crossley, a penalty-saving expert who had denied Lineker from the spot in the previous season’s FA Cup final. RS

Gary Lineker, 1992

England 1-1 Brazil

A kick remembered for comedic reasons, largely through Micah Richards and Alan Shearer chuckling about it every few months on their podcast. But at the time this was a moment of pathos and heartbreak, as Lineker passed up his best, if not his last, chance to equal Bobby Charlton’s all-time England goal record. Jonathan Liew

Eric Cantona, 1994

Manchester United 1-1 Newcastle United (5-6 pens)

In May 1994, Eric Cantona was untouchable, having inspired Manchester United to a league title then a double. In the FA Cup final, he’d gently rolled two penalties into the same corner of the net, Chelsea’s Dmitri Kharine diving the wrong way as if compelled by the shamanic power of Gallic flair. But in a shootout against Newcastle at that summer’s illustrious Ibrox International Challenge Trophy, the success of his previous Panenka in 1989 persuaded him to try another. Pavel Srnicek obligingly dived out of the way only for the kick to sail over the bar as United lost 6-5. DH

Djalminha, 1995

Guarani 2-1 Internacional

Brazil’s Djalminha, the maverick’s maverick, is best remembered for his signature rainbow flick, so it’s no surprise he was partial to a rainbow kick from the penalty spot. The first of many was scored against Sergio Goycoechea, whose elastic penalty saves had taken Argentina to the final of Italia 90. “I noticed that he always jumped early and committed to a corner,” said Djalminha, “so I thought that was the moment to try the chip.” It quickly became tried and trusted. RS

Dwight Yorke, 1996

Sheffield United 0-1 Aston Villa

Dwight Yorke was so sick of Mark Bosnich saving his penalties in training, he tried something completely different. It worked, so he promised to do it for real the next time Aston Villa were given a spot-kick. That was met with ridicule, but Yorke was true to his word and settled an FA Cup tie at Bramall Lane with a goal that changed his life. “Suddenly,” said Yorke in Born to Score, “the football world was very aware of this cheeky young buck who had dared to execute such an outrageous spot-kick. I definitely detected an increased interest in me after that match.” RS

Gianluca Vialli, 1996

Chelsea 2-4 Wimbledon

There’s no Internet Panenka Database (IPDb), which makes it impossible to say categorically who did what when. But Vialli’s consolation Panenka, at the end of a game in which Chelsea were thrashed by a rampant Wimbledon, may be the first of the Premier League era. Neil Sullivan, who had been beaten from the halfway line by a very different kind of chip earlier in the season, came tantalisingly close to saving it. RS

Dwight Yorke, 1998

Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal

“If the penalty taker has the bottle to do that, good luck to him,” said David Seaman, who was Panenka-ed on the last day of the 1997-98 season. “There isn’t much a goalie can do except look pretty stupid when it goes in.” Or hold their position, which Seaman did when Yorke took another penalty against him nine months later in an epic league match between Manchester United and Arsenal. His bluff called, Yorke sidefooted wide. RS

John Eyre, 1999

Torquay 0-1 Hull City

If only there was a transcript of the great Neville Southall’s internal monologue as this piece of effrontery floated gently past him. RS

Francesco Totti, 2000

Netherlands 0-0 Italy (1-3 pens)

In their Euro 2000 semi-final with the co-hosts, Italy put on a defensive masterclass while down to 10 men. In the inevitable shootout, Frank de Boer was denied by Francesco Toldo and Jaap Stam blasted his kick into orbit. Stam was immediately followed by Francesco Totti, whose falling leaf penalty foxed Edwin van der Sar and had the Dutch lurching towards despair. It also introduced the Panenka to a new generation. John Brewin

Mixu Paatelainen, 2001

Hibernian 0-0 Hearts

A last-minute penalty to win an Edinburgh derby is the stuff of dreams – and nightmares. Mixu Paatelainen only took it because Hibs’ usual taker, Russell Latapy, had gone awol two days earlier. After scoring a hat-trick against Hearts earlier in the season, Paatelainen probably thought he could do anything. As his chipped effort sailed over the bar, he was disabused of the notion. RS

Thierry Henry, 2003

Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle

Five days after the Battle of Old Trafford, Arsenal kickstarted their Invincible season with a ding-dong win over Bobby Robson’s Newcastle. The winner was teased softly down the middle by Henry. Maybe it was an unspoken message of defiance that Arsenal would continue to do things their own way. Maybe it meant nothing. Or maybe he was just trolling Ruud van Nistelrooy. RS

Mickaël Landreau, 2004

Nantes 1-1 Sochaux (4-5 pens)

For all the spot-kicks these keepers face, surely they’d understand the right and wrong way to disguise a Panenka. Not poor Mickaël Landreau. He had the chance to secure the 2004 Coupe de la Ligue final for Nantes, but his headlong dash failed to give his lob the requisite power. Sochaux ultimately flipped the result and won the cup. Jeff Rueter

Liam Lawrence, 2004

Huddersfield 0-0 Mansfield (4-1 pens)

Liam Lawrence scored 12 penalties, one short of Francis Lee’s English league record, to help Mansfield to the Third Division playoff final in 2003-04. When that game wheezed to a penalty competition, Lawrence was standing on the halfway line with his teammate Bobby Hassell (“a proper angry little fella”). On the Under the Cosh podcast, Lawrence remembered their exchange.

LL I’m gonna dink it.

BH No you’re not.

LL I am, honestly. I’m gonna dink it down t’middle. He’s gonna dive; there’s no way he’s gonna stand there in a playoff final.

BH Liam, don’t you fuckin’ dink that ball.

He dinked that ball against the bar – “I got too much juice in my run-up” – to leave Mansfield 2-0 down after two penalties. “By the way,” Lawrence added, “the keeper did dive.” RS

Helder Postiga, 2004

Portugal 2-2 England (6-5 pens)

Helder Postiga was a typical Tottenham signing of the era: a talent unfulfilled, sold at a loss after a single Premier League goal. His revenge on English football was to equalise in normal time of the Euro 2004 quarter-final and then send David James stumbling with Portugal’s sixth penalty, a kick so under-amped it barely scraped over the line. Then Darius Vassell missed, the Portugal keeper Ricardo scored, and a tournament that England’s golden generation could have won had slipped from their grasp. JB

Peter Crouch, 2006

England 6-0 Jamaica

The then-Liverpool striker scored an England hat-trick as part of World Cup preparations, yet many only remember him lifting the ball well over the bar from 12 yards. Arrogance certainly played its part, wanting to secure his treble in style, but he had to wait, earning the ire of the usually calm Sven-Göran Eriksson. “It was a golden opportunity to practise for a penalty shootout, but he made a joke out of it,” the head coach spewed. “He’s apologised.” Will Unwin

Artem Milevskiy, 2006

Ukraine 0-0 Switzerland (3-0 pens)

You’re excused if you don’t remember this one: it came after 120 minutes of the most soporific football ever played. RS

Zinedine Zidane, 2006

Italy 1-1 France (5-3 pens)

The nerve to do it in a World Cup final. The scene was nothing new for Zidane. He’d already bagged that brace eight years earlier against Brazil; it had to be him, in his last game, dinking it off the crossbar, past Gianluigi Buffon. It was going to be the dream sendoff – until Marco Materazzi and the anger took over. Taha Hashim

Yann Kermogant, 2010

Cardiff 2-3 Leicester (agg: 3-3; 4-3 pens)

To miss a Panenka is to embrace infamy. To do so in a Championship playoff is to be consumed by notoriety. In a shootout, with the decisive kick? Insanity. Kermogant, a useful French striker who found his home in England’s second tier, dollied his kick into the body of the grateful Cardiff keeper, David Marshall. Kermogant is remembered for this moment above all others, possibly for eternity. He even has his own Bonnie Tyler adaptation. JB

Sebastián Abreu, 2010

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 pens)

If we were picking a Panenka XI, Sebastián Abreu would be one of the first names on the team sheet, so it’s apt that he administered one at a World Cup. A tumultuous quarter-final, best remembered for Luis Suárez’s handball and Asamoah Gyan missing a penalty in the last minute of extra-time, ended with the softest of executions. RS

Andrea Pirlo, 2012

England 0-0 Italy (2-4 pens)

When England somehow prolonged their Euro 2012 quarter-final against Italy to penalties, and with his team leading 2-1 after two goes each, Joe Hart bounced and laughed, seeking to put Andrea Pirlo off … then plunged towards the corner as the ball wafted gently above him and in. “He felt I was too charged not to dive,” Hart reflected on a mood-switching moment. England missed their next two kicks, with two Italian successes finishing them off. “I saw [Hart] making strange movements, so I hit it like that,” Pirlo confirmed afterwards. DH

Sergio Ramos, 2012

Spain 0-0 Portugal (4-2 pens)

For such a tactile defender, Sergio Ramos was surprisingly partial to a tender Panenka. His most important came in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Portugal. Bruno Alves missed Portugal’s next kick and Spain went on to demolish Italy in the final. RS

Maicosuel, 2012

Udinese 1-1 Braga (agg: 2-2; 4-5 pens)

The one that cost €20m. Maicosuel had just joined Udinese from Botafogo when his Panenka was saved in a Champions League playoff against Braga. It was the only miss of the shootout. Udinese, coached by Francesco Guidolin, dropped into the Europa League and the big payday went to Braga. “I still can’t get it out of my head,” said Guidolin six years later. “It stalks me.” RS

Graziano Pellè, 2012

SC Heerenveen 2-2 Feyenoord (6-7 pens)

Sudden death, the last 16 of the cup. You’re the seventh-choice penalty-taker, you have to score or it’s over, and you have the chutzpah to try a Pellènka? RS

Rogério Ceni, 2013

São Paulo 0-0 Corinthians (3-4 pens)

No surprise that one of the great goalscoring keepers should beat his opposite number with a Panenka. His reaction after scoring in this Campeonato Paulista semi-final shootout carried a simple message: it’s not personal, it’s strictly business. His São Paulo team lost anyway; Ceni thought he had kept them alive with a save from Alexandre Pato, but he was fractionally off his line. Pato scored the retake emphatically. RS

Alexandre Pato, 2013

Gremio 0-0 Corinthians (3-2 pens)

Five months later, Pato had to score to keep Corinthians in their Copa do Brasil quarter-final against Grêmio. It was an inopportune time to take one of the worst Panenkas ever seen. RS

Alexis Sánchez, 2015

Chile 0-0 Argentina (4-1 pens)

It’s impossible to top the historic significance of the definitive Panenka, but Alexis Sánchez came closer than anyone. His swaggering penalty, which barely left the ground, won Chile their first Copa América – andunlike Czechoslovakia in 1976,they were the hosts. The playful nature of Sánchez’s winning moment only added to the nationwide euphoria. RS

Aaron Ramsey, 2017

Serbia 1-1 Wales

The Wales team of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and co regularly made history. In a World Cup qualifier in 2017, Ramsey unwittingly did so by scoring a Panenka at the same end of the same ground in Belgrade where it all began. “I didn’t know,” he said, “but that is quite a nice touch.” In more ways than one. RS

George Calintaru, 2017

Juventus Bucuresti 1-2 Steaua Bucuresti

A Panenka can seriously damage your health. When George Calintaru fluffed the chance to equalise for newly-promoted Juventus Bucuresti against Steaua with the last kick of the game, his teammates set upon him in frustration. He then punched a table in the dressing room and broke a finger. RS

Fedor Smolov, 2018

Russia 2-2 Croatia (3-4 pens)

Russia’s shock run to the 2018 World Cup quarter-final was soundtracked by raucous support. The crowd in Sochi met the occasion as a shootout with Croatia was all that stood between them and a semi-final. Pedants may contend that Fedor Smolov’s opening attempt lacked enough lob to qualify as a Panenka, but his tame prod up the middle made Danijel Subasic’s job easy to open the sequence in Croatia’s favour. JR

Lionel Messi, 2020

Barcelona 2-2 Atlético Madrid

If you’re going to bring up 700 career goals in an empty stadium, you might as well do it in style. RS

Fara Williams, 2020

Reading 3-1 Aston Villa

This unusual penalty from Fara Williams might not satisfy the Panenka purists. But we’ve included it because it captures a recurring sub-genre: an all-time-great using the Panenka as an expression of undeniable superiority. RS

Ademola Lookman, 2020

West Ham 1-0 Fulham

During his time at Fulham, Ademola Lookman attempted a Panenka against West Ham with the last kick of the game but his feeble chip landed straight in the arms of Lukasz Fabianski. “I’m disappointed and angry,” said his manager Scott Parker in a rare moment of post-match honesty. “You can’t take penalties like that and he knows that.” Yara El-Shaboury

Santi Cazorla, 2021

Al-Gharafa 0-2 Al Sadd

Not many players score orthodox penalties with their left and right feet, never mind Panenkas. Santi Cazorla is a member of the latter club – right foot against Newcastle in 2014, left foot against Al-Gharafa in 2021. RS

Sergio Agüero, 2021

Man City 1-2 Chelsea

City were set to secure the Premier League title but, in front of zero fans during Covid, Sergio Agüero did not feel the pressure. He decided to chip down the middle; Édouard Mendy almost fell for it but had enough time to get up and claim the ball. Chelsea went on to win, and Agüero issued a public apology. WU

Marta, 2022

France 2-1 Brazil

Birthday gifts can be a pain to give, especially when the celebrant seems to have given themself the perfect present. Such was life if Marta was on your gift-giving list in 2022, with the Brazilian legend opening that day’s friendly against France in sublime fashion.JR

Karim Benzema, 2022

Manchester City 4-3 Real Madrid

A moment of mischief at the end of a pulsating and painfully serious match. Eight days later, Benzema scored a more orthodox penalty to put Madrid into another Champions League final. RS

Achraf Hakimi, 2022

Morocco 0-0 Spain (3-0 pens)

If you’re going to put your country into their first World Cup quarter-final, you might as well do it in style. RS

Gaëtane Thiney, 2023

Real Madrid 0-1 Paris FC

We can’t say for sure that this is the first Panenka in the Women’s Champions League, but it’s definitely the first to knock Real Madrid out of the competition. RS

Antoine Mille, 2024

Les Herbiers 2-2 Châteauroux (3-4 pens)

In which the Les Herbiers goalkeeper Téo Hamelin is so affronted that, after saving one of the more pitiful Panenkas ever taken, he flings the ball straight back at the unfortunate Mille. RS

Marta, 2025

Orlando Pride 2-1 San Diego Wave

If you have already missed your penalty, but opponents’ encroachment has given you a second chance, just how bold do you have to be to attempt a Panenka from the retake? That’s what Marta did in the NWSL for Orlando Pride in 2025, chipping in off the underside of the crossbar to secure a 2-1 victory over San Diego Wave, and remind everybody of her ageless class and skill. Tom Garry

Alexia Putellas, 2025

Roma 0-4 Barcelona

Even the greats fluff their efforts sometimes. Alexia Putellas, one of the best women’s footballers of all time, clipped a Panenka harmlessly over the crossbar during a Champions League victory for Barcelona when her team were only 1-0 up. She redeemed herself from the spot later in the match – that time, tucking safely into the bottom corner. TG

Tiaguinho, 2025

Brazil U17 0-0 Paraguay U17 (5-4 pens)

A Panenka is a dish best served cold.RS

Brahim Díaz, 2026

Morocco 3-0* Senegal

Brahim Díaz had the chance to become a Moroccan hero when he won and then took a stoppage-time penalty that could have ended his country’s 50-year trophy wait. Instead, after a 16-minute delay caused by Senegal’s protests, his Panenka was easily caught by Édouard Mendy. “He had a lot of time before taking the penalty, which must have disturbed him,” said the Morocco manager Walid Regragui. No kidding. Then again … YE-S

Mohamed Salah, 2026

Australia 1-1 Egypt (2-4 pens)

Sixty-one penalties were taken at the 2026 World Cup. The surprise is that Mo Salah’s Panenka for Egypt in their shootout against Australia was the only one. Fifty years after it came straight outta leftfield, the Panenka is now firmly part of the mainstream. RS

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.