Xabi Alonso reportedly trusts Kylian Mbappé to be Real Madrid’s primary penalty taker next season over Vinícius Júnior.
Time and time again, Real Madrid came up empty from the spot last season. What should have been surefire goals turned into misses as player after player took his turn failing to convert from 12 yards out.
Of the 19 penalties Los Blancos were awarded in their 2024–25 campaign, the Spanish giants missed seven, the most by any big club in Europe. Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde were all responsible for the poor record, though the Frenchman led the way with three misses.
Despite Mbappé’s shaky showings from the spot last season, MARCA report the new No. 10 is in line to assume the team’s penalty responsibilities moving forward. The club views the former Paris Saint-Germain star as the “leader of Real Madrid’s attack,” usurping Vinícius Júnior.
Mbappé will be eager for redemption from the spot. He failed to convert against Liverpool, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad last season, though he fired home the rebound against the latter.
The France international’s miss at San Mamés in particular was a turning point in Real Madrid’s season. The Spanish giants suffered a costly 2–1 defeat that came back to haunt them as the La Liga title race came to a head.
Still, Mbappé has successfully converted 50 penalties in his career for both club and country. The center forward will need to build trust from the spot in the white shirt, though, before Madridistas will consider him as consistent of a penalty taker as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Sergio Ramos.
Vinícius Júnior, meanwhile, was Real Madrid’s primary penalty taker before Mbappé arrived in the Spanish capital last summer. Yet the Brazilian missed twice last year, including one against Atlético Madrid which could have eliminated Los Blancos in the Champions League round of 16.
The 24-year-old will now likely be second in line to take penalties under Alonso, with Bellingham as the team’s third option despite his own miss against Valencia at the Mestalla in January.
Valverde would normally come next in the pecking order, but the midfielder failed to convert a penalty at the FIFA Club World Cup, costing Real Madrid the victory against Al Hilal.
The pressure will be on Mbappé not only to break the curse over Real Madrid’s penalties as of late, but to also follow up his Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot-winning campaign.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Real Madrid Name Penalty Taker for 2025–26 After Shocking Record Last Season.