Real Madrid Appoints New Penalty Specialist Following Last Season's Stunning Miss Rate Crisis

According to reports, Xabi Alonso has confidence in Kylian Mbappé to serve as Real Madrid's main penalty specialist for the upcoming season, ahead of Vinícius Júnior.

Throughout the previous campaign, Real Madrid struggled consistently from the penalty spot. What should have been guaranteed goals became missed opportunities as multiple players failed to deliver from twelve yards.

Out of 19 penalty kicks awarded to Los Blancos during their 2024–25 season, the Madrid club squandered seven attempts, marking the highest failure rate among Europe's elite teams. Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde all contributed to this disappointing statistic, with the French striker leading in misses with three failed attempts.

Even with Mbappé's inconsistent penalty performance last term, MARCA indicates the new No. 10 is set to take over the team's spot-kick duties going forward. The organization sees the ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward as the "focal point of Real Madrid's offensive unit," overtaking Vinícius Júnior in this role.

Mbappé will be looking for a chance to redeem himself from the penalty spot. He was unable to score against Liverpool, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad during the previous season, although he managed to net the rebound in the match against the latter.

The French player's penalty miss at San Mamés proved particularly significant for Real Madrid's campaign. The club endured a damaging 2–1 loss that would later prove crucial as the La Liga championship race reached its climax.

Nevertheless, Mbappé has successfully scored 50 penalties throughout his professional career representing both club and national teams. The striker must establish reliability from the spot while wearing the white jersey before Madrid supporters will regard him as dependable a penalty taker as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Sergio Ramos.

Vinícius Júnior, on the other hand, served as Real Madrid's main penalty taker prior to Mbappé's arrival in the Spanish capital last summer. However, the Brazilian also missed twice during the previous year, including one crucial attempt against Atlético Madrid that could have knocked Los Blancos out of the Champions League round of 16.

The 24-year-old will now presumably be the backup penalty taker under Alonso, with Bellingham serving as the squad's third choice despite his own missed attempt against Valencia at the Mestalla in January.

Valverde would typically be next in the hierarchy, but the midfielder also failed to convert a penalty during the FIFA Club World Cup, denying Real Madrid victory against Al Hilal.

The expectation will be on Mbappé not only to end Real Madrid's recent penalty struggles, but also to build upon his Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot-winning season.