Five players with most penalty goals in La Liga

These players held their nerve under pressure.

La Liga is one of the most popular sporting competitions in the world. The Spanish top-flight has been home to some of the great strikers in the history of the sport. These forwards have scored a wide range of goals throughout their careers including spot-kicks.

Let’s take a look at the five players with the most penalties in La Liga history

5. Lyuboslav Penev (36 Goals)

The Bulgarian striker spent 10 years in Spain’s La Liga. He played for four teams during his time in the country. His best individual spell came with Valencia. However, the striker’s two titles in Spain came during his time with Atletico Madrid. Penev won the league and Cop del Rey in the 1995-96 season.

Lyuboslav Penev was one of the greatest strikers in Bulgarian history. He inspired many great forwards from the country including Hristo Stoichov. He scored 109 goals in 259 appearances in La Liga. 36 of those strikes were from the spot. Penev also played for Compostela and Celta Vigo in the Spanish top flight.

4. Ronald Koeman (45 Goals)

The Dutch defender was one of the best penalty takes of his time. Playing as a centre-back, Koeman carried a great goal threat. The Netherlands international was a crucial member of Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona team.

Ronald Koeman had brilliant qualities from set pieces. He was Barcelona’s main free-kick taker during his time there. These skills made him a penalty specialist for the team. The defender scored 67 times in the league, 45 of those goals came from the spot. He is also La Liga’s highest-scoring defender from 12 yards.

3. Hugo Sanchez (56 Goals)

The next player on the list of most penalty goals in La Liga is Mexican Hugo Sanchez. He is one of the few players to play for both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. But he enjoyed the most success with the Los Blancos.

Hugo Sanchez won the league for five consecutive seasons with Real Madrid. He scored 164 goals for the club in La Liga. The Mexican had an impressive number for Atletico Madrid as well. Netting 54 times in 11 appearances.

The striker also played for Rayo Vallecano in the league. In his 10-year plus spell in Spain, the Mexican netted 234 goals. He also scored 56 from the penalty spot.

2. Lionel Messi (60 Goals)

Arguably the greatest player in footballing history, the Argentine superstar is next on the list. The striker has netted 60 goals from the penalty spot. This is one strike short of the all-time record in the league.

Lionel Messi is the leading goal-scorer in La Liga's history. He has netted 474 times in 520 appearances. The Argentine also holds the record for most assists registered in the competition. He achieved these feats while playing for Barcelona.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (61 Goals)

The Portuguese tops the list of most penalty goals in La Liga. Ronaldo is considered one of the best penalty takers of all time. It is hard to argue with that due to his stellar record from the spot. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 61 times from the spot. He took 71 penalties.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 before joining Juventus in 2018. He has scored the second-most goals in La Liga history. He is also Real Madrid’s record goal-scorer of all time. The Portuguese had the best games to goal ratio in the league. He netted 311 times in 292 appearances.

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