Scoring a penalty may not be as easy as it seems, but it still is the most straightforward route to increasing one’s goal tally. Understandably, every ambitious player would want to take penalties to boost their number, leading to complete chaos whenever such a situation presents itself. This is why every team has one designated penalty taker — someone who has a cool head and does not fall prey to the goalkeepers’ mind games.
In the list below, we will take a look at some top players who got the short end of the stick when it came to penalties, never getting a chance to take them for their clubs. However, that did not keep them from scoring a bucketload of goals. Continue reading to meet the five players who have scored the most goals across the top 10 leagues without netting a single penalty since the 2000-01 season.
Let’s begin!
Data: Transfermarkt
#5 Rafa – 125 Goals
Kicking off the list is former Portugal second-striker Rafa. The 31-year-old, who plays for Besiktas, has played 471 games for clubs belonging to the top 10 European leagues, scoring 125 non-penalty goals. Rafa has featured for Feirense, SC Braga, Benfica, and Besiktas so far in his career.
Rafa’s stint at Benfica lasted the longest, with him playing 326 games for the club between August 2016 and July 2024. He scored 94 goals and provided 79 assists, winning three Portuguese top-flight titles, one Portuguese Cup, and two Portuguese Super Cups.
#4 Gervinho – 129 Goals
Former Ivory Coast international Gervinho scored an admirable 129 non-penalty goals in 479 games in his club career. The 37-year-old, who is currently without a club, has traveled all around the world, playing for KSK Beveren, Le Mans UC 72, LOSC Lille, Arsenal, AS Roma, HB CFFC, Parma, Tabzonspor, and Aris Saloniki.
Thanks to his knack for switching clubs, Gervinho never stayed in one place for too long. His most successful stint was at Lille between July 2009 and July 2011, during which he scored 36 goals and provided 20 assists in 93 appearances, winning the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France.
On the back of his fine spell with Lille, Gervinho joined Arsenal in the summer of 2011. However, he did not have the same level of success in North London. Between July 2011 and August 2013, he played 63 games for Arsenal, scoring 11 goals and providing 13 assists.
#3 Bryan Linssen – 129 Goals
In third place, we have Dutch center-forward Bryan Linssen. The 34-year-old, who now plays for Urawa Reds, scored 129 non-penalty goals in 422 games for clubs belonging to the top 10 European leagues in the 21st century. So far, he has played for Fortuna Sittard, MVV Maastricht, Venlo, Heracles Almelo, FC Groningen, Vitesse, Feyenoord, and Urawa Reds.
Linssen did his best work at Eredivisie side Vitesse between 2017 and 2020. He played 113 games for the club in all competitions, scoring 46 times and providing 20 assists. Unfortunately, Linssen has yet to win a trophy in his career.
#2 Wesley Sneijder – 136 Goals
One of the best midfielders of the 21st century, Wesley Sneijder scored 136 club goals in 537 games across the top 10 European leagues in the 21st century, with none of these strikes coming from the penalty spot. The Dutch legend played for Ajax, Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, OGC Nice, and Al-Gharafa SC in his career.
Sneijder spent the longest time at Ajax, scoring 58 goals and providing 47 assists in 180 games between 2003 and 2007. His more memorable spell, however, was at Inter Milan, as he scored 22 goals and provided 35 assists in 116 games for the club, helping them win the Treble in 2009-10.
#1 Kevin Kuranyi – 144 Goals
Former Germany center-forward Kevin Kuranyi sits at the top of the rankings, having scored a smashing 144 club goals in 356 games. Kuranyi, who retired in July 2016, represented VfB Stuttgart, Schalke, Dinamo Moscow, and Hoffenheim between 2001 and 2016.
Kuranyi enjoyed his longest and most successful spell with Schalke. He played 209 games for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 87 goals, providing 41 assists, and winning the German League Cup in 2006.
