Mexico legend Hugo Sánchez has insisted that he invented the technique that Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez has adopted for his penalty taking.
ESPN cover comments from the legendary striker today. It seems he wants some recognition for the Fulham striker’s current success.
The Mexican striker currently holds the record for the most penalties taken in Premier league history with a 100% conversion rate. He has scored all 13 of his attempts so far.
That makes the 34-year-old the only player in the league’s history to take and convert so many. The previous record was held by Yaya Toure, who managed 11.
Fulham penalty stats
Jiménez’s career record is even more impressive. He has only missed two penalties in his entire professional career out of approximately 45 attempts. That’s an over conversion rate of 95.5%. Those misses came for Mexico in 2018 and Wolves, vs Sevilla, in 2020.
Six of his penalties have come for Fulham, the latest coming in the 3-1 win over Sunderland last weekend.
His success from the spot comes from his ‘goalkeeper dependent’ technique. The technique forces the goalkeeper to make the first move, often allowing the taker to roll the ball into an empty net.
Although the technique has no English name, Portuguese‑speaking regions call it the Paradinha. This translates as “little stop”.
Why it’s seen as a smart trick
It cleverly bypasses FIFA rules that prevent a full stop at the end of a run-up. This style is a legal variation because his faints and stutters occur during the run-up rather than the point of contact.
It seems, though, that Mexico legend Hugo Sánchez wants some recognition for the technique. Many consider him one of the greatest penalty takers in football history, with a career conversion rate of 94%.
“I invented the ‘paradinha’ penalty kick technique,” he said on Futbol Picante.
“I’m glad it’s being used in many parts of the world, and Raúl is becoming a specialist.
“Raúl is making headlines; he’s scored 13 consecutive penalties without missing, but watch out for Raúl, because if he keeps up this streak of penalties scored.”