Who are the best penalty kick takers in world football right now in 2025?
10. Ante Budimir, Osasuna
Ante Budimir probably isn’t going to win the Pichichi trophy over Big Two LaLiga superstars Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe, but the fact that a striker from Osasuna is in the conversation is a huge feat, reminiscent of that one time Dani Guiza won the Pichichi more than a decade ago.
A standout of LaLiga for years, dating back to his days at Mallorca, Budimir has morphed into one of the best pure finishers in world football and that deadly accuracy extends to the penalty spot where he has converted all seven of his attempts in the current league campaign.
9. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has come a long way since his high-profile miss against Yann Sommer in the 2020 European Championships, and he is so good now that it is a legitimate outrage in the Spanish capital whenever Vinicius Junior takes a pen over him.
There’s not a player in Madrid who is better at penalties than Mbappe, and that’s saying something since this is a star-studded team that also includes another clutch performer in Jude Bellingham.
But full credit to Mbappe for improving one of his biggest – of the few remaining – weaknesses as an attacking player. He has converted six of seven tries in LaLiga this season and become better at fooling keepers with his run-up.
8. Vincenzo Grifo, Freiburg
German-Italian inverted winger Vincenzo Grifo is legitimately one of the most underrated footballers on this planet and something of an institution at Freiburg, once leading the team to European qualification.
Grifo is one of the best set-piece specialists there is, and his superior technical ability lends itself to a strong track record from the spot.
7. Cole Palmer, Chelsea
They don’t call him “Cold” for nothing. Cole Palmer is as expressionless as he is talented, and his ability to turn off the noise and deliver technically is observed in his quality from the penalty spot. Imagine anyone on Chelsea being audacious enough to take a pen from his cultured left boot.
6. Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter Milan
Hakan Calhanoglu is another great technician from Serie A, and while his most stunning highlights are his free kicks and scorching driven shots from outside the box, the clever Turkish international is also an absolute monster from the spot.
A perfect 10 out of 10 in the 2023/24 season, Calhanoglu has maintained a respectable average in the current Serie A campaign for the Scudetto favorites with three out of four makes.
5. Jonathan David, Lille
Set to be the hottest free agent in world football when the market opens up in June, Jonathan David has become one of the most complete No. 9’s in the world after initially struggling with both his consistency in front of goal and his ability to create chances in 2021/22.
Now, David is a bona fide star in Ligue 1, and he deserves a lot more credit than he gets for being a world-class striker from the spot, too. David made 10 of 11 penalties in the 2022/23 season and is six out of seven in 2024/25. He doesn’t have a perfect record, but he’s pretty close. David does a great job of deceiving keepers and has nearly as strong of a boot as Haaland.
4. Domenico Berardi, Sassuolo
Sassuolo may be a shock Serie B side after last season’s demotion, but the quality in Domenico Berardi’s golden left boot is still very much alive. Before they went down, Berardi was one of the most consistently lethal strikers of the ball from the spot with 12 of 13 makes between the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Serie A seasons.
He is forever underrated and forever loyal to the Neroverdi.
3. Paulo Dybala, Roma
Paulo Dybala is one of the most respected technical wizards in world football, and even as he enters his decline phase, Roma’s gem still has to be considered one of the best penalty kick takers in Europe. He is literally a perfect 10 for 10 in the last two seasons.
2. Erling Haaland, Manchester City
There isn’t a better pure goal-scorer than Erling Haaland in world football, and while his reputation has taken a bit of a hit during this difficult season for Manchester City, the Norwegian sensation obviously can’t answer for even a fraction of this team’s new flaws.
Haaland is a goal-getter, plan and simple, and he is arguably the most accomplished finisher on the planet. The man is a killer in front of goal, and with his combination of speed and precision as a shooter, he’s one of the last players any goalkeeper wants to face from the spot.
In the previous two seasons, Haaland was 14 of 15 from penalties for an average well above 90 percent.
1. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich
Harry Kane is the benchmark for strikers in world football and that includes penalty kicks. The England international has taken well to life in Bavaria over the past couple of seasons with a literal perfect 14 for 14 record from the spot.
Even when you account for his last season at Tottenham in 2022/23, Kane would only have one miss in the last three seasons for an average of 95 percent – a number that would make even the Holy Trinity of Real Madrid penalty takers Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Sergio Ramos envious.
Kane is by far the most accurate kick taker in terms of placement, and he’s just as good as Bayern Munich predecessor Lewandowski at fooling keepers, albeit with fewer errors as a result of being too cutesy with his steps. He is a machine.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.