I think Balotelli used to do the same trick and for a long time he had an insane conversion rate too. He stopped just a second before he kicked, watched the gk and then kicked. Reina once said he knew that and intentionally didn't make a move until Balo somehow had to take a shot. Then he picked a side and hoped for the best.
Jari Litmanen used this technique throughout his career. 29 penalties taken, 28 scored. He hit the post once with Liverpool, but goalkeeper never saved his PK's.