The best penalty takers in Premier League history must boast both composure and technique, with the ability to remain cool under pressure key for spot-kick specialists.
Callum Wilson continued his impressive record from the spot at the weekend, with the Newcastle forward having missed just one penalty during his Premier League career.
But where does Wilson rank among the best penalty takers the league has seen? We delve into the numbers to rank the best penalty takers in Premier League history (Minimum 10 penalties taken).
Ranked: The best penalty takers in Premier League history:
5. James Beattie – 94.1% (16/17)
James Beattie boasts a 94.1% conversion rate from the spot after slamming home 16 of his 17 spot-kicks in the Premier League.
Beattie’s best form came during a successful spell at Southampton, where the forward scored 78 goals in 238 appearances in all competitions. His best goalscoring season came in 2002/03, as Beattie scored 23 league goals to finish narrowly behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
Beattie – who won five caps for England – later had Premier League spells with Everton, Stoke and Blackpool.
4. Callum Wilson – 94.1% (16/17)
Callum Wilson converted from the spot during Newcastle’s 2-2 draw at Wolves at the weekend, a goal which saw him climb into the top five penalty takers of the Premier League era.
#44 ⚽️
#45 ⚽️@CallumWilson became our outright third highest scorer in the Premier League era with his double at Molineux 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Dpc7fLve9Q— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 29, 2023
Wilson can now match Beattie’s record of 94.1% successful spot-kicks, having scored 16 of his 17 attempts as a Premier League player. The 31-year has not missed from the penalty spot in the Premier League since August 2018 and has converted his last 12 spot-kicks in succession.
3. Danny Murphy – 94.7% (17/18)
Danny Murphy sits marginally ahead of Beattie and Wilson, having converted one more spot-kick than that duo.
Murphy was a regular penalty taker during a long Premier League career that included spells at Liverpool, Charlton, Tottenham and Fulham. The former England midfielder converted his first spot-kick during a 1-0 win for Liverpool at Manchester United in April 2004, while his sole miss saw Joe Hart make a save during Fulham’s 3-2 win at Manchester City in 2008.
2. Matt Le Tissier – 96.2% (25/26)
Matt Le Tissier is recognised as one of the Premier League’s best penalty takers having missed just one spot-kick during his career in the division.
Le Tissier is often hailed as Southampton’s greatest ever player after an illustrious one-club career on the South Coast, in which the attacking midfielder turned down transfers away from the Saints to help keep the club in the Premier League.
Le Tissier scored a century of Premier League goals for Southampton, many of which were spectacular, and converted 25/26 penalties.
1. Yaya Toure – 100% (11/11)
Yaya Toure ranks as the best penalty taker in Premier League history with a 100% record from the spot in the division.
The Ivorian converted all 11 of his penalties for Manchester City, with the midfielder a key part of the club’s rise to the top of the division.
A marquee arrival from Barcelona after the club’s transformative takeover, Toure scored the decisive goal as City won the FA Cup in 2011 – a first major trophy in 35 years – and was a crucial part of the club’s Premier League title wins in 2012 and 2014.
All 2️⃣0️⃣ of @YayaToure‘s goals from the 2013/14 @premierleague season! 🌟
So many of these are just incredible! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/HoIZocLOBF
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 30, 2023
His 2013/14 campaign is regarded as one of the Premier League’s great individual seasons, as Toure recorded 29 goals and assists in City’s title-winning campaign under Manuel Pellegrini.
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