Football is a game of fine margins, and a penalty kick can be the difference between glory and heartbreak. Having a reliable taker standing over the ball 12 yards from goal is crucial, and Manchester United have had some superstars in that role over the years.
More than 25 players have stepped up to take a penalty for the Red Devils in the Premier League, with wildly varying degrees of success. Here is a complete list using transfermarkt stats, along with a closer look at the club’s most prolific penalty takers to have stepped up ten or more times in the competition.
Bruno Fernandes – 32 penalties
The only player to have taken more than 30 penalties for United in the Premier League era is showing no signs of slowing down. Bruno Fernandes is a true talisman for the club and on top of his limitless creativity and do-or-die attitude is incredibly clinical from 12 yards.
At time of writing the Portuguese had converted 81.3% of the 32 penalties he has taken in the league, finding the net a whopping 26 times. The iconic leap in his run-up can still cause palpitations, but United know that more often than not their captain is composed and capable of finding the net.
Wayne Rooney – 28 penalties
It’s little surprise to see the club’s all-time top scorer high on this list, with Wayne Rooney stepping up to the spot 28 times in the Premier League. More surprising is that eight of those kicks were unsuccessful, leaving the United legend with a 71.4% success rate which is the second lowest of anyone to reach double figures for penalties taken.
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 22 penalties
One of the best centre-forwards to pull on the red shirt (or any other) in the Premier League era, Ruud van Nistelrooy was devastating in front of goal. Notoriously good inside the box, he was deadly from the spot and scored 18 of the 22 he attempted for an 81.8% conversion rate.
He memorably missed a last-minute penalty in the infamous Battle of Old Trafford, the 0-0 draw with Arsenal in 2003, sparking almost a full-blown riot on the pitch with Martin Keown a particular villain. In the same match the following year he got his revenge, blasting past Jens Lehmann from the spot in a 2-0 win.
Eric Cantona – 16 penalties
The mercurial Frenchman rarely did anything in half measures and was uncompromising from the spot. A master at sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, his uncomplicated side-foots were a recipe for success that seldom went wrong.
Cantona netted 14 of the 16 Premier League penalties he took, his 87.5% conversion rate the joint highest of anyone to hit double figures. The Frenchman also gets an honorary mention for scoring two penalties in the same FA Cup final in 1994 to secure a 4-0 win over Chelsea and a historic Double for United.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 16 penalties
If anyone is fit to share a spot with Cantona it’s Cristiano Ronaldo who, over two spells with United, took and scored the exact same number. Ronaldo missed his first league spot kick, which was saved by Chris Kirkland for Wigan, but followed up to smash home the rebound, and never looked back.
His first penalty upon his return to the club was the decider in a 3-2 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford – a fixture to feature more than once in this list.
Paul Pogba – 11 penalties
The ever-divisive Paul Pogba had a spell as United’s penalty-taker-in-chief but proved as inconsistent from the spot as he was anywhere else. His baby-steps run-up was a red flag for some and made penalty misses look all the worse, but it got him seven goals from the 11 spot-kicks he took.
Two of those seven came in the same match, a 2-1 win over West Ham United which was Pogba’s blockbuster bread and butter, but his 63.6% conversion rate is the lowest of anyone to take more than three Premier League spot-kicks for the club.
Marcus Rashford – 10 penalties
The only other player to reach double figures for penalties taken in the Premier League is Marcus Rashford who scored eight of the ten he stepped up for. His 80% Premier League success rate is impressive, but his most memorable spot kick came in the Champions League during United’s heroic comeback at Paris Saint-Germain.
The full list of Man United’s Premier League penalty takers:
| Player | Pens taken | Pens scored | Conversion rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | 33 | 27 | 81.8% |
| Wayne Rooney | 28 | 20 | 71.4% |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | 21 | 17 | 81.0% |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 16 | 14 | 87.5% |
| Eric Cantona | 16 | 14 | 87.5% |
| Marcus Rashford | 10 | 8 | 80.0% |
| Paul Pogba | 11 | 7 | 63.6% |
| Denis Irwin | 9 | 7 | 77.8% |
| Robin van Persie | 8 | 6 | 75.0% |
| Louis Saha | 4 | 4 | 100.0% |
| Anthony Martial | 4 | 3 | 75.0% |
| Juan Mata | 3 | 3 | 100.0% |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| David Beckham | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Ryan Giggs | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Steve Bruce | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
| Teddy Sheringham | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Paul Scholes | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| Ander Herrera | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
