Ten deadliest players from the penalty spot.
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10) Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
Mostly on penalty duty for Manchester City last season, Yaya Toure’s highly prolific goals record from midfield owed much to his reliability and incredible composure from the penalty spot.
9) Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Not a prolific goalscorer, but one who can always be trusted to put away a penalty with some aplomb. The experienced Spaniard, now Arsenal captain, is not phased when he steps up to take a spot-kick, and has scored some important goals from the club from twelve yards.
8) Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Another player whose record from the penalty spot was crucial for their team last season, Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly one of the best penalty takers in the Premier League, as he always seems to find the target with typically low and powerful efforts on goal.
7) Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
A player with sublime technique with a dead ball, it is no surprise that Italian midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo is a reliable penalty taker for club and country, with a notable ‘Panenka’ effort against England in a shoot-out victory at Euro 2012 perhaps the pick of the bunch.
6) Frank Lampard (Manchester City)
One of the best goalscoring midfielders the game has seen, Manchester City’s new signing Frank Lampard was always known to find the back of the net when he stepped up to take a penalty in his long and great career for Chelsea. Whether he gets that chance for his new club remains to be seen.
5) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
A great goalscorer from almost any position on the pitch, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is unsurprisingly efficient from the spot as well, though he infamously didn’t get the chance to show it in Portugal’s shoot-out defeat to Spain at the semi-finals of Euro 2012, as he was selected last on his side’s list, with Spain having finished the job by that time!
4) Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
One of the greatest players the game has ever seen, it isn’t asking too much of Barcelona star Lionel Messi to knock the ball in from twelve yards out, and the Argentine has shown great accuracy as a penalty taker for club and country.
3) Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
With his thunderous left foot, Robin van Persie always seems to be able to blast his penalties beyond the goalkeeper from the spot, showing himself to be highly reliable in the high-pressure situation of taking a spot-kick.
2) Mario Balotelli (AC Milan)
A superb talent who looks set to be Liverpool’s latest big-name signing, AC Milan and Italy striker Mario Balotelli has a cheeky habit of rolling in his penalties after the goalkeeper has already dived. The 24-year-old never seems to miss from that position, and is certainly among the best in the game at the moment.
1) Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Like Balotelli, Chelsea star Eden Hazard is another deadly accurate penalty taker who always manages to fool the goalkeeper and roll the ball in beyond their reach. Perhaps the best spot-kick taker in the world at the moment, the Belgian is definitely one you’d want in your side in a shoot-out situation.
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Balotelli to LFC