A 'Panenka' penalty or free kick is basically a chip shot, which takes courage as it is a bit, which risks the keeper saving it even if he chooses a side (in case of a penalty) or easily falls to the keeper's hands (in case of a free-kick). But for Messi, this isn't even a risk, as he has performed numerous panenka penalties and even free-kicks. So without further ado, let's look at those examples.
Messi's ability to make panenka penalties is excellent, and he has done so multiple times. In fact, after a panenka penalty against Getafe in 2015, Antonin Panenka, the inventor of the panenka penalty, said it was the best he had ever seen. Below is a video showing most of Messi's panenka penalties.
The next and last thing to see are Messi's panenka free-kicks. For some, this shot is simply too difficult to score, but for someone like Messi, no free-kick is out of his panenka range, even long ones. Below is a video showing a number of panenka free-kicks from Messi.
As we can see, Messi's chip shot ability expands to penalties and even free-kicks, and on an unprecedented amount. This shows how well he can control the power of his shot depending on the situation, an important finishing ability. I hope you liked this entry, and as always, I'll see you in the next blog.
