This hit-and-miss penalty technique can make the World Cup’s best players look cool — or silly

It’s theatrical. It can be maddening. It makes the world’s top soccer players look very cool — or very silly.

The stutter-step penalty has been a feature of this World Cup, with the leading adopters of the technique being superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Neymar.

Let’s say it’s had varying levels of success.

It has sent France through to the quarterfinals and contributed to Brazil’s exit. Messi didn’t even hit the target when he tried one in group play.

As for Neymar, a converted stutter-step penalty proved to be his parting gift to international soccer.

And that feels poignant.

Popularized by Pelé, continued by Neymar
The stutter-step penalty — where a player feints, sometimes repeatedly and almost to the point of stopping, keeping his eyes on the goalkeeper during their run-up to the ball — is widely believed to have been spawned