Akinfeev on Penalties: Reflecting on Luck and Psychology Behind Goalkeeping Success

The goalkeeper and captain of Moscow’s CSKA, **Igor Akinfeev**, shared his thoughts on the factors influencing the saving of penalty kicks.

**»You know, penalties are largely about psychology, right? Or do you have some secrets of your own? Is it mainly psychology, divine intervention, or the belief that as you save more and more, the psychological edge shifts to the goalkeeper, or is it all just luck?»**
**»From my perspective, it’s mostly about luck. There was a championship, I think in 2010 or 2011, in Russia, and there was a record number of penalties awarded against me. I haven’t mentioned this to anyone before, but now I will…»**

**»An exclusive!»**
**»Yes, I’ll be honest now. I believe there were seven penalties awarded against me, and I didn’t save any. A player from any team approaches—let’s say it was Tom, and I won’t even mention teams like Spartak or Dynamo, where things are different—but we were playing in Tomsk. A player comes up and just tricks you into moving to one side. You stand there, and even before the kick, like a schoolboy, you realize you’re going to concede. Even 10 or 15 seconds before he strikes the ball… I can’t explain that feeling; it just happened with me.»**

**»But then there are moments, like with Kuban, in 2014 or 2015, which was a championship season for us: the 90+2 minute, Melgarejo steps up, takes the ball, and I know I’m going to save it. I even know where he’ll shoot. You can see from the footage that the height is favorable. I didn’t even move on the line, like Georgy Vitsin. I just stood there, took a step to the side, and jumped in the direction he shot.»**

**»I can’t explain it, so I consider it a lottery. Of course, you can train and face 500 penalties in practice, but you could save 499 of those in training, and then you might not save the one crucial penalty in a game. I don’t know how to interpret that. Most likely, it’s a combination of luck and psychology—correct,»** Akinfeev remarked in an interview on the Zvezda TV channel.

In the current season, Akinfeev has played 21 matches for CSKA across all competitions, conceding 15 goals and keeping 10 clean sheets. The player’s contract with the club runs until the summer of 2026. According to the information provided on the Transfermarkt website, the 38-year-old footballer’s market value is estimated at €1 million.

On Friday, April 4, the army team will face off against Moscow’s Dynamo in the 23rd round of the Russian Championship for the 2024/2025 season.