Barcelona are the Kings of winning penalties

All three of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar are ‘animals’ inside the area. It’s their natural habitat, where they move the best; where they know how to decide games. The Uruguayan is a born goal scorer, while the Brazilian and Argentine are more about manufacturing and playing with the ball at their feet. 

Faced with this trio, it’s not easy for defences to stop them. The three have different characteristics, but they all have one thing in common: when they are inside the box, their rivals struggle to take the ball off them. For that reason, it’s not strange to see so many penalties given. 

For some people it may be conspiracy against other clubs and in favour of Barça - a ‘Villarato’ - but the reality is that on very few occasions have Barcelona been gifted a penalty without reason. In fact, it’s the opposite, on more than one occasion they have been denied spot kicks. 

Whatever it is, Barça, on Saturday in the 6-0 win against Sporting, became the side to be awarded the most penalties in a single La Liga season. With the three against the Asturians, they have now been given 19, taking over the 16 Real Betis won in 1986-87. They’ve been won by: Neymar (8), Messi (3), Suarez (2), Busquets (1), Munir (1) and handballs (4), according to data from @pedritonumeros. 

Meanwhile, Barça’s three penalties on Saturday was the third time the Blaugrana have been given so many in a single game. The first was in 1944 against Sabadell and the second, 50 years later, against Osasuna in 1994.