From Zidane to Benzema - These legends have used the famous Panenka technique

Described by Pele as a work of 'either a genius or a madman', the Panenka penalty kick technique has been used with increasing regularity by some of football's greatest legends.

Image Credit: Getty Images

The Panenka is an ingenious way of taking a penalty kick, which sees the striker chip the ball down the centre of the goal. Karim Benzema brought the focus back on this technique as he used the Panenka to reduce Real Madrid's goal deficit against Manchester City in their 3-4 loss at the Champions League semifinal first-leg clash at the Etihad on Tuesday.

Invented by Antonin Panenka, the technique shot to fame in 1976 when the Czechoslovakian star used it to hoodwink past legendary Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sepp Maier during the European Championship final. 

Described by Pele as a work of 'either a genius or a madman', the Panenka technique has been used with increasing regularity by some of football's greatest legends. Here's a look at footballers who have used this penalty kick technique:

The most iconic Panenka penalty kick came during the FIFA World Cup 2006 final when Zinedine Zidane handed France a 1-0 lead over Italy using this iconic technique to go past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Though the clash ended in disappointment for Zizou as he was shown a red card and France lost via a shootout, the penalty kick remains a moment etched in the game's folklore.

During the Euro 2012 shootout against England, Italy's Andrea Pirlo successfully used the Panenka penalty kick. Talking about his decision to execute this technique, the legendary Italian said it was an impromptu one and not deliberate. "The only way I could see pushing my chances of scoring close to 100%," Pirlo added.

Former Barcelona legend Lionel Messi has used the Panenka penalty on numerous occasions, including a crafty goal early in the Catalan club's Champions League match against Lyon in 2019. This season, the Argentine also used the technique during Paris Saint-Germain's UCL group-stage game against RB Leipzig.

While Eden Hazard, Memphis Depay and Raheem Sterling have all used the technique, Panenka prefers those taken by former Real Madrid and PSG defender Sergio Ramos. "Ramos is undoubtedly one of the best in the world," the Czech stated after the centre-back had clipped home an effort against Celta in the 2020 La Liga season.

Uruguay's Sebastian Abreu is undoubtedly one of the most prolific Panenka penalty takers. After netting in the FIFA World Cup 2010 for Uruguay against Ghana in a shootout using the method, he said, "What adjective did you use to describe Zidane's penalty? Crazy? No, magic. So why not Abreu?" The Uruguayan also scored two Panenkas during Botafoga's 3-2 win over Fluminense in 2011.