Ronaldo fans dub Messi 'Miss Penalty' as memes flood social media after World Cup miss

Lionel Messi may have ended the night with another historic achievement, but for a brief period, social media was focused on something else: A missed penalty.

The Argentina captain failed to convert from the spot during his side's 2-0 victory over Austria in the FIFA World Cup 2026 group-stage clash.

The miss came with added significance, as a successful penalty would have immediately helped Messi move closer to another World Cup milestone.

Instead, the Argentine superstar saw his effort saved, giving critics and rival fans a rare opportunity to celebrate.

Within minutes, social media platforms were flooded with memes, jokes and reactions, many of them shared by supporters of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Some users even began referring to Messi as ‘Miss Penalty’, a nickname that quickly gained traction online as clips of the miss circulated across the internet.

One viral post read:

'Ronaldo fans: 'Pessi is finished. He can't even score a penalty now.'

Messi a few minutes later: becomes the World Cup’s all-time top scorer.' Another user summed up the emotions of Messi supporters after the miss, writing: 'Messi fans watching him miss a penalty kick to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history'

Some fans suggested the miss may have actually worked in Messi's favour when it came to dealing with critics.

'Missed it on purpose to give the haters less ammo '

Another post joked: 'Messi heard the critics and trolls so he decided to miss the penalty '

Ronaldo supporters also joined the online frenzy with reaction memes. 'Ronaldo FC seeing Messi miss his penalty'

One user openly admitted to celebrating the miss despite not supporting Argentina's opponents. ‘You cannot celebrate another Country’s goal. Me celebrating Messi’s penalty miss'

Another widely shared post reignited the long-running Ronaldo-Messi debate.

'One video that perfectly shows the difference between Messi and Ronaldo. '

While the memes dominated online conversations, the mood changed dramatically once Messi responded on the pitch.

The Argentine icon recovered from the setback, scored twice and went on to become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, ensuring that the miss would ultimately be remembered as a footnote in a record-breaking night.

Still, in the age of social media, even a fleeting mistake by one of football's greatest players is enough to trigger a global meme fest.

For several hours, 'Miss Penalty' trended alongside Messi's name as fans, trolls, and football pages turned a rare error into the internet's biggest talking point.