What does this writer have in common with Lionel Messi? We have both tried and failed to score a penalty kick past the RoboKeeper.

My effort came in 2018 at a Moscow fan park during the FIFA World Cup, before Messi tried his luck this week at the Olympic Sports museum in Qatar.

On both occasions, the robot - using sensors to know which way to move - reacted too quick and kept the ball out of the net.

There is just one way to beat the RoboKeeper (I only learned this after my penalty) and that is to put the ball into either top corner.

Messi tried to do this but his strike was slightly too close to the keeper, who deflected the ball back towards the Paris Saint-Germain forward.

Messi was his side's regular penalty taker for much of his career at former club Barcelona.

But since moving to PSG, he has found himself behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the spot-kick pecking order.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future
USA Hockey names HC for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics
Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
Pacers' Pascal Siakam leads team to Game 6 win vs. Knicks
Watch: Matt Duchene's 2OT winner sends Stars to conference final
Scottie Scheffler shoots improbable 66 after warming up for PGA Championship in a jail cell
Report: Tua Tagovailoa away from Dolphins amid contract chatter

Want more Soccer news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.