TThe outcome of a match or even a player’s statistics can change if the referee decides to award a penalty. And we have a striker who throughout his career was able to convert these shots from 11 meters with surgical precision.
We can’t forget Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two icons of the sport who have taken these shots hundreds of times in a career spanning more than 20 years. But the Premier League star insists he is better than the Argentine or Portuguese.
Fulham star puts himself above CR7 and Messi
In an interview with FOX Sports, 34-year-old Mexican striker Raul Jimenez answered several questions in which he had to choose between two players in different situations. When it came to choosing the best penalty taker, he chose himself without hesitation.
Among the names mentioned by journalists were Harry Kane, Javier Chicharito Hernández, Rogelio Ceni, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. And Jimenez chose himself over them all.
Like it or not, my success rate is better than all the methods you mentioned. I don’t know if I’m the best in the world, but that’s who I am. I stick to myself.
The truth is, the statistics back him up. Looking at his entire career, Jimenez has only missed two of his 46 penalties in all competitions, giving him a success rate of 96%.
The first time the ball missed the back of the net was in a friendly between Mexico and Uruguay in 2018, when Fernando Muslera managed to save it. In 2020, while at Wolverhampton, Raul missed a shot in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla, but Yacine Benou “Bono” saved it.
However, this percentage stands apart from icons such as Messi, who converted 112 of 144 shots (77.8% efficiency), and Ronaldo, who converted 182 of 218 penalties (83.5%).
Meanwhile, Raul, who scored in the recent game against Sunderland, now has 13 of his 13 penalties in the Premier League.
In doing so, he surpassed Yahya Toure’s 11 goals without making a mistake, but first place still goes to Thierry Henry, who scored 23 of 23 penalties.
Jimenez needs 11 more goals and mistakes to overtake him. But even without success, his name is already synonymous with the team’s reliability.
