Top Ten

On The Spot

1. John Terry
2008 Champion's League Final, Chelsea v Manchester United

John Terry's tears may have been lost in the cold Moscow rain, but the agony etched on his face was plain to see as he disconsolately trudged up to accept his loser's medal. That agony no doubt compounded by the fact that Terry wasn't even in the five picked to take penalties before the game: he was only drafted in when Didier Drogba was sent off four minutes from time. One slip on the turf, the shot flying wide of the right-hand post, and that was all she wrote. Manchester United win the Champion's League. Chelsea lose on penalties, just as they had started the season against the same side in the Charity Shield.


2. Roberto Baggio
1994 World Cup Final, Italy v Brazil

Let the man himself tell it: "I knew Taffarel always dived so I decided to shoot for the middle, about halfway up, so he couldn't get it with his feet. It was an intelligent decision because Taffarel did go to his left, and he would never have got to the shot I planned. Unfortunately, and I don't know how, the ball went up three metres and flew over the crossbar. As for taking the penalty in the first place, I was knackered, but I was the team's penalty taker. I've never run away from my responsibilities. Only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them. I failed that time. Period. And it affected me for years. It the worst moment of my career. I still dream about it. If I could erase a moment from my career, it would be that one." Brazil win the Final 3-2 on penalties.


3. John Aldridge
1988 FA Cup Final, Liverpool v Wimbledon

John Aldridge was a great goal scorer: he scored for lower league Newport at the start of his career; he scored for Oxford United during their glory years and is still a club favourite; he scored for his hometown club Liverpool, and he scored for Real Sociadad. He even scored for Tranmere at the end of his career. And he was a great, if predictable, penalty taker. It was this predictability that put Aldo's name into the record books as the first man to miss a penalty in an FA Cup Final at Wembley. Wimbledon's Dave Beasant dived to his left, anticipating the shot. Wimbledon won 1-0. This was Aldridge's first penalty miss for Liverpool.


4. Uli Hoeness
1976 European Championship Final, W. Germany v Czechoslovakia

The final was played in the 54,000 Belgrade Stadium. Having been crowned 1972 Euro Champions and World Champions in 1974, the Germans were heavy favourites. Czechoslovakia opened the scoring early in the game through Jan Svehlik, scoring again in the 25th minute thanks to Karol Dobias. It looked like game over for the Germans. But they fought back, as they often do. Dieter Muller scored in the 28th minute. Then Bernd Holzenbein levelled the score in the 89th minute. Extra time produced no goals. Penalties. Until the third round, both sides were level. In the fourth round, Zdenek Nehoda scored his penalty for Czechoslovakia then Hoeness missed for West Germany. Marian Masny converts and the Czechoslovakia win their first ever European Championship.

5. Stuart Pearce
1990 World Cup Semi Final, England v Germany

They are funny things, penalty misses. Some players miss and are loathed by the fans and never forgiven. Others miss and are taken into the collective sympathetic heart and the agony is shared. Stuart Pearce falls into the second camp. Pearce had played well throughout the 1990 World Cup - indeed, he set up a superb David Platt goal in the Quarter Final. Against West Germany: 1-1 after extra time. Lineker scores. Beardsley scores. Platt scores. Pearce misses. Waddle missed too (see below). But the nation throws a celebratory punch when Pearce scores an emotional, ghost-burying penalty in Euro 1996. England still lost, though.


6. Chris Waddle
1990 World Cup Semi Final, England v Germany

Ah, Christopher Roland Waddle. He could so easily have been remembered for the great and the absurd, but he won't be. He'll be remembered for kicking England out of the World Cup in 1990. The mullet haircut will be forgotten. The trippy Diamond Lights duet with Glen Hoddle will fade into the mists of time. The sweeping runs and goals for Newcastle, Tottenham and Marseille, will all count for nothing. "Would you want to be Chris Waddle now?" John Motson asked. The ball ballooned over the crossbar. "England are out of the World Cup. West Germany are through to the final."

7. Gareth Southgate
1996 European Championship Semi Final, England v Germany

Six years after the World Cup heartache, and it's England-Germany again. Vengeance will be England's! Southgate, who had only been called up to the squad six months earlier, was a giant in the charge towards the Semi Final. Then England meet their deadly rivals. All five from both sides score their penalties after extra-time sees the teams level at 1-1. Then Southgate's penalty is saved. The song Southgate (Euro '96) by The Business was written to commemorate this hideous event. Southgate managed to make light of his blunder by appearing in an advert for Pizza Hut, which also featured penalty missers Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle. They should have all been horsewhipped.

8. David Batty
1998 World Cup 2nd Round, England v Argentina

England are often presented with opportunities to avenge earlier defeats in the big tournaments. We seldom capitalise on them. Take this crucial game against Argentina. The Hand of God could have been chopped off and sent home in a cigar box. Was it? No, of course not. After extra-time both sides were level thanks to goals from Batistuta, Zanetti, Shearer and Owen. Penalties. Bloody penalties. Shearer scores. Paul 'the Guvnor' Ince misses, cancelling out Crespo's miss. Everyone scores up to Batty, who has the last penalty to take to move things forward. Batty shoots, Roa saves, the Eurostar starts its engine.

9. David Beckham
2004 European Championship Quarter Final, England v Portugal

This might be the least fair penalty miss on our list. Beckham didn't actually miss the penalty that put us out of the Championships - that honour goes to Darius Vassell. But Beckham's miss is the one that lingers in the mind. The match ends 2-2, and Beckham is England's first penalty taker. Totally shaven-headed, the Number 7 places the ball on the spot, patting down some errant grass as he does so. He takes his run up and - what's this? His left leg seems to slip to the right as he plants for the kick. He scoops the ball and it sails into the stands. Was it a divot? Was it a slip? Who cares? England are out of a major tournament once again when Vassell misses his effort. Oh, and the Portuguese knocked England out of the World Cup two years later . . . on penalties


10. Roberto Donadoni
1990 World Cup Semi Final, Italy v Argentina

The hosts are playing at home, so no pressure for Donadoni. To add an extra layer of intrigue and excitement, the match is played in Naples, where Maradona has just helped the side win their second Serie A Championship. The Neopolitans don't really like the snobby southern national side. And so the stars moved into alignment: Donadoni has his kick, the 7th, saved by Sergio Goycochea - only in the team because of an earlier injury to the first team goalie. Up steps Maradona. He scores. The crowd go wild. Aldo Serena misses, and Argentina go on to lose a messy final against Germany.