The penalty kick is one of the most dramatic and exciting moments in football. It is a moment that can define a match or even a career, and the tension is palpable.
Picture this, at the last minute of a game, your team is awarded a penalty kick and you have been given the responsibility to take and deliver the all-inspiring goal to seal the win.
But the thing is, though it looks like an easy task, it takes someone with a focused and calm mind to convert the spot kick, and sometimes, even the most focused could cause a blunder.
This takes someone with consistency and accuracy to catch the keeper off guard and come clutch for his team.
The penalty kick is a peculiar set piece that is awarded to a player that was been fouled inside the 18-yard box of the opposition team.
From here, the player is given a golden opportunity to score a goal, as he is placed one on one with goalkeeper, with no interference allowed till after it is taken.
This was invented in 1891 by William McCrum in a way to stop players from fouling their opponents in their box and it has gone on to become a staple in football.
Over the years, the style of penalty kicks has evolved, with numerous players inventing a unique way of getting past the goalkeeper, styles that have gone on to define an era.
The panenka is one of the most unique and yet, the most difficult styles to execute and it was invented by Antoine Panenka.
This technique was used first in the 1976 UEFA European Championship final between Czechoslovakia and West Germany, and with the game tied at 1-1, Antoine took the decisive penalty in the shootouts but instead of blasting the shot, it decided to calmly chip the ball down the middle, much to the surprise of everyone and it was his penalty that sealed the victory for Czech.
The technique was named after him and it has since become embedded in football history.
Players like Andrea Pirlo, Lionel Messi, and Zinedine Zidane have executed this technique with a perfect score but some other players have indeed found out that it isn't as it looks because not all keepers can be fooled.
A player could also decide to place the ball in the bottom or top corner, giving the keeper the tough task of saving it, or might just use the traditional power shot style of penalty.
This particular is the most effective of the three, as the player needs to generate enough power into his foot to hit the ball with brute force, giving the keeper no chance.
It is effective but it is also risky because one could sail the ball past the intended target.
No penalty is easy to score and that is why each team has one or two persons they could always rely on.
Lionel Messi holds the record for most penalty goals scored with 70 goals, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming second with 60.
These two revolutionized the art of penalty, with each of them having different techniques, Messi with the placement and occasional panenka, and Ronaldo going old school with his trademark power shot technique.
Whenever these two stand to take a spot kick, the goalkeeper's mind gets into a calculative state, because he knows what he is up against.
Other great spot-kick takers include the likes of Neymar Jr, Harry Kane, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Francisco Totti, Karem Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Jorginho, Bruno Fernandes, Ivan Toney, Steven Gerrard and so many more.
Just like freekicks, penalties have ached their name into the history books and sit comfortably on the Mount Rushmore of the best in-game decisions to ever be invented.
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