Perfect From 12 Yards: What Makes Raúl Jiménez So Good at Penalties?

Raúl Jiménez is the new Premier League penalty king. The Fulham striker has become arguably the best spot-kick taker in the English top flight, maintaining a perfect record that has surpassed some of the competition’s greatest penalty specialists. But what makes him so effective from 12 yards out?

A Record-Breaking Achievement

After a successful effort past Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens last weekend, Jiménez now holds the record for the most penalties taken in the Premier League while maintaining a 100 percent record from the spot.

His spot-kick in Fulham’s 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford took him to 12 from 12 in the competition, overtaking Yaya Touré’s record of 11 from 11 in the Premier League. He can, for now at least, stake a claim as the best penalty taker in Premier League history.

But his penalty record is more impressive than just the 12 scored from 12 attempts in the English top flight.

Premier League Penalty Record

The Routine

Placing the ball on the penalty spot, Jiménez stands upright, strides backwards to the arc on the edge of the penalty area, and stands with his hands on his hips.

After taking two steps to his left, he begins his run-up, stuttering on the way to the spot 12 yards from goal, before stroking the penalty into the back of the net. It’s a much-practiced and familiar routine.

Jiménez is a creature of habit with penalties. The same routine, the same view down the center of the goal before taking a couple of steps to his left and, usually, the same outcome after his run up to the ball.

The Technique Explained

When Mexican publication Cracks visited Jiménez at Wolves’ training ground back in February 2020, the striker explained that he’s worked hard on his penalty routine since being a young reserve player at Club América during his formative years as a professional.

When asked about the most important aspect of his penalty technique, he was clear that sticking to a tried-and-tested routine was crucial. He said: “You have to be clear that you’re going to shoot like this. That you’re not going to change your style for anyone, then just at the end, see where the goalkeeper is moving before shooting it in the other direction.”

Watching the goalkeeper’s feet and body shape is a big factor in Jiménez’s penalty placement. There is no looking at the ball during his run-up, which is nearly always stuttered to allow him more time to work out the goalkeeper’s intention.

Jiménez explained: “Many of my teammates ask how I can do that, shoot without looking at the ball. They’d fall, they say. But it’s something I’ve learned, improved and I’ve been perfecting it over time.”

Placement Over Power

Once he has seen his opponent make his move, Jiménez tends to pick a side of the goal rather than shoot down the middle. It’s all about placement, too. The majority of his penalties aren’t hit with great speed, but caressed into the goal, with accuracy the key attribute for success.

Even the one against United on Sunday, which Lammens dived the right way for, was stroked into the top corner and beat the keeper with precision rather than power.

Of his 22 penalties in all competitions for Fulham and Wolves, 20 have been placed to the side of the goalkeeper: nine to the left and 11 to the right. The remaining two could be classed as being hit low and central, but they were passed into the net after the goalkeeper had dived. He has missed one in England, however.

Penalty Placement for English Clubs

Goalkeeper Dependent vs Goalkeeper Independent

In Ben Lyttleton’s book Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty, he explains that there are two ways of taking penalties: goalkeeper dependent and goalkeeper independent.

Goalkeeper independent is exactly as you’d expect. You strike the ball independent of where the goalkeeper is going to go and if you hit it hard and true, and it finds the target, you’re more likely than not to score a goal.

However, the goalkeeper dependent method is what Eden Hazard does, what Yaya Touré does, it’s what Gaizka Mendieta did. That involves waiting for the goalkeeper to move, and to do that you have to have some kind of pause in your run-up at some point. Whether it’s half a second or longer, there is some kind of checking in the run-up to allow for that pause. Then the goalkeeper normally commits himself and the player will go the other way.

Maybe the fact that Jiménez lets the goalkeeper decide for him makes him so successful from the spot? A penalty taker who is goalkeeper independent would seemingly have a preference on where to target a penalty, making the choice less random and the power and placement on the spot-kick a much more important factor on whether it’s converted or not.

This is where Jiménez’s stuttered run to the ball helps him. The moment of attempted trickery could give him an early insight into the goalkeeper’s intentions and help him decide where to aim his shot.

Exceptional Accuracy Under Pressure

Goalkeeper dependent penalties are, on the face of it, much more difficult. But Jiménez is incredibly skilled at it. Sunday’s penalty against Lammens showed that he can wait until the last moment of his run up and even when the goalkeeper dives the right way, his placement of the shot was so high into the top corner that it was virtually impossible to save.

Overall, since he debuted for Wolves in August 2018, Jiménez has taken 32 penalties, excluding shootouts, for club and country combined. He’s missed just two of those, representing a 6.3 percent miss rate. On both occasions the goalkeeper has waited for Jiménez to take his penalty before deciding on which way to dive.

Yassine Bounou saved a Jiménez penalty in Wolves’ UEFA Europa League quarter-final versus Sevilla on 11 August 2020, successfully palming away when diving to his left.

Fernando Muslera was the previous goalkeeper to save a Jiménez penalty, when the Uruguayan saved from him in an international friendly against Mexico in September 2018. Muslera’s save was after diving to his right, but only after Jiménez had scored a rare penalty down the middle, with Muslera diving right, 50 minutes earlier in the game.

He’s taken five additional penalties in shootouts over that time, and one of those was saved, in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final versus Costa Rica. It was almost identical to the penalty that was saved by Muslera a year previous: although hit slightly harder this time, Leonel Moreira saved low to his right.

Overall Penalty Record Since 2018

High-Pressure Specialist

It’s even more impressive that Jiménez remains such a reliable penalty taker given many of his penalties have come in high-pressure situations.

As well as five penalties in shootouts, 17 of the remaining 32 have been taken when the score in the game was tied, representing 53.1 percent of his penalties. Another eight have been taken with his team a goal behind, accounting for 25.0 percent. Two of his penalty-shootout attempts came in Fulham’s dramatic, EFL record 16-15 shootout defeat to Preston North End in September 2024. Jiménez scored both his spot-kicks.

Game Situation Analysis

When Goalkeepers Have Beaten Him

The rare occasions when goalkeepers have saved from Jiménez reveal an interesting pattern. Both saves in regular play came when the goalkeeper waited for Jiménez to commit before deciding which way to dive.

This suggests that the most effective way to stop Jiménez from the spot is to delay the decision as long as possible, though even this strategy has only worked twice in 32 attempts.

The goalkeeper who saved from him in a shootout, Leonel Moreira, employed a similar tactic, diving low to his right after Jiménez had committed to his shot direction.

Fulham Penalty Comparison

The Psychology of Perfection

Maintaining a 100 percent record creates its own psychological pressure. Every time Jiménez steps up to take a penalty, he carries the weight of his perfect record. Yet this seems to have no negative impact on his performance.

If anything, his consistency suggests that the routine he has developed provides a mental shield against pressure. By following the same steps every time, watching the goalkeeper’s movements, and trusting his technique, he removes much of the uncertainty that can cause penalty takers to falter.

The fact that he’s maintained this record across different competitions, against different levels of opposition, and in various high-pressure situations demonstrates remarkable mental strength alongside his technical ability.

Learning From Youth

Jiménez’s comments about developing his technique as a young reserve player at Club América reveal the foundation of his success. He didn’t develop this skill overnight or rely purely on natural talent. Instead, he worked systematically to perfect a routine and technique that would serve him throughout his career.

The dedication to not looking at the ball during his run-up, something his teammates find remarkable, shows the level of practice and trust in his own ability that underpins his success. It’s a technique that many players would struggle to master, but Jiménez has made it look routine.

Comparing Methods With Other Elite Takers

The goalkeeper dependent method that Jiménez employs puts him in elite company. Players like Eden Hazard and Yaya Touré, both mentioned in Ben Lyttleton’s analysis, used similar approaches with great success.

Touré’s record of 11 from 11 in the Premier League stood as the benchmark until Jiménez surpassed it. The fact that both players used the goalkeeper dependent method suggests it may be the superior approach for those who can master it.

However, it requires exceptional technical ability, composure, and the confidence to wait until the last possible moment before committing to a direction. Not every player possesses these qualities in sufficient measure to make the method work consistently.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Since debuting for Wolves in August 2018, Jiménez’s overall penalty record stands at an exceptional 34 from 37 attempts across all competitions and situations. This 91.9 percent success rate would be impressive on its own, but his perfect 12 from 12 in the Premier League elevates him to a unique position in the competition’s history.

The breakdown of his penalties shows he’s not simply taking easy opportunities. Over half have come with the score tied, and a quarter with his team trailing. These high-pressure moments would cause many players to miss, but Jiménez thrives in them.

A Weapon for the Run-In

As Fulham chase European qualification, every goal will matter. Penalties can often be the difference between winning and drawing, or drawing and losing. With Jiménez on the pitch, Fulham have what amounts to a guaranteed goal whenever they’re awarded a spot-kick.

This reliability becomes even more valuable in the final weeks of the season when nerves are high and margins are tight. While other teams may worry about whether their penalty taker will deliver in crucial moments, Fulham can be confident that Jiménez will convert.

Read More: Can Bruno Fernandes Break the Premier League Record of 20 Assists?

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