England's penalty record is good, despite the history and cliches - with plenty of penalty takers worth relying on
(Image credit: Getty)
Penalties have come to define England at major tournaments over the past 31 years. We've been there with Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce, David Beckham - who all missed spot-kicks at major tournaments.
But the times, they are a-changing. 2018 marked England's first-ever World Cup shootout victory, as the Three Lions overcame Colombia in the last-16. Could Euro 2020 continue the trend?
Of course, England fans hope it doesn't come to that. With plenty of penalty-takers at club level in the side though, there is at least optimism for how the squad could perform, should the dreaded 12-yard test come up.
We've sifted through the side to find the likely candidates to step up, should England go to penalties at the Euros...
Harry Kane's penalty record
Captain Kane, the hat-trick hero#ENGPAN #worldcup #bbcworldcup pic.twitter.com/BwueCdTkQgJune 24, 2018
Arguably the best penalty taker in world football right now, Harry Kane hasn't missed a penalty since September 2019, when Arijanet Muric foiled him for Kosovo in the European Championship qualifiers.
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Kane is likely to step up first for his country in a shootout - just as he did at the 2018 World Cup, in which he scored his spot-kick. His technique of smashing the ball into top corners is virtually unstoppable on its day.
Raheem Sterling's penalty record
Career penalties: 5
- Scored: 2 (40%)
Missed: 3 (60%)
Raheem Sterling has, at least, buried his only penalty in an England shirt, which came last September as the Manchester City man captained England in the Nations League against Iceland. He has, however, missed his last three for City.
In terms of shootouts, Sterling did not take one in Russia in 2018, but he stepped up to score the fourth against Switzerland in the Nations League third-place play-off in 2019.
Marcus Rashford's penalty record
THE UNTHINKABLE HAS HAPPENED!Marcus Rashford converts from the spot after VAR awards the visitors a late, late penalty!Man Utd are through, PSG are out. Unbelievable! 😱 pic.twitter.com/03NMqxQUj6March 6, 2019
Marcus Rashford has an extremely impressive penalty record, despite not being a consistent taker for Manchester United. He's delivered in high-pressure moments, such as a Champions League knockout tie against PSG in 2019 late on and has scored every single one of his England spot-kicks, too - including one in qualifying against Norway at under-21 level.
Rashford stepped up second after Kane in 2018 to bury his spot-kick against Colombia. The young forward also boasts scoring from 12 yards against penalty-saving experts, such as Willy Caballero and Tim Krul.
A reliable set-piece deliverer for Gareth Southgate, Kieran Trippier has never taken a penalty during a game for England. His two penalties at club level, however, were both missed: one for Tottenham and one for Atletico Madrid.
Trippier scored his spot-kick against Colombia in 2018.
Jordan Henderson's penalty record
SAVED! Henderson has his penalty saved by Ospina! pic.twitter.com/S4eMe0z6xNJuly 3, 2018
Perhaps the man who would make England fans most nervous if he stepped up for a spot-kick, Jordan Henderson is the only player to have missed in a shootout for Southgate. The Liverpool captain fluffed in 2018 against Colombia and recently missed from 12 yards after coming off the bench in a pre-Euros friendly against Romania.
Henderson last scored a penalty all the way back in 2015, in a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal, but didn't take a penalty in either of the two shootouts that Liverpool played against the Gunners in the last year.
A save ratio of one in four might not look great for a goalkeeper from penalties but Jordan Pickford is statistically expected to save at least one in a shootout. The Everton keeper became a hero against Colombia between the sticks, saving from Carlos Bacca with a big hand, before Eric Dier slotted the winning penalty.
Pickford actually scored a penalty for England, too - he took the fifth spot-kick against Yann Sommer in the Nations League in 2019.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
