Who should be Real Madrid's main penalty taker? Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr

Vinicius Jr was seen sharing spot-kick duty with Mbappe.

This season, who will take Real Madrid’s penalties? There are three excellent contenders to take over as the primary penalty-taker now that Luka Modric is playing fewer minutes. Although Kylian Mbappé has the best experience, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Jr. have chances as well.

Now that Mbappe has joined Real Madrid, the team now has a specialist. The French forward seems like the natural pick as he looks to score 50 goals this season. But Bellingham and Vinícius have shown to be more trustworthy.

Following Karim Benzema’s departure in the summer of 2023, the Brazilian was named the team’s primary penalty-taker. He proved capable of being so, scoring all three of his spot-kicks throughout the 2023–24 campaign.

Choosing the main penalty taker is going to be a big headache for Carlo Ancelotti. So far Vinicius seems to be leading the line. He has remained their key spot-kick taker, despite the club also having Kylian Mbappe.

Should Mbappe become Real Madrid’s preferred penalty-taker?

With a commanding 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad, Real Madrid successfully returned to LaLiga action. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both scored goals from the penalty spot. Instead of designating Mbappe or Vinicius as the go-to penalty taker, Carlo Ancelotti has allowed the players to make the choice.

Mbappé has taken 53 penalties in his career, missing nine and scoring 44 for an 82.35% success percentage. The majority of his misses have come at the club level, where he has missed eight chances. He has performed much better with France, scoring 10 out of 11.

Should Vinicius Jr remain the main spot-kick taker?

The Brazilian took over as Los Blancos’ primary spot-kick taker after Benzema left. However, that might alter or he could share the spot-kick duty with Mbappe.

Vinicius has a flawless record compared to Mbappe. Despite only having six penalties in his career, he has converted all of them in highly intense games. It includes two against Barcelona (one each in LaLiga and Spanish Super Cup), one against Bayern in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League and one for Brazil.

What about other Real Madrid players?

Bellingham has only ever taken three penalties—two for Borussia Dortmund and one for Real Madrid. He has converted each of them.

Another alternative, Rodrygo Goes, may have fewer opportunities this season. He is certainly below in pecking order when it comes to penalties. So far in his time with Real Madrid, he has taken five penalties (one with the reserve squad), missed two and scored three. Thus far, he hasn’t taken any with Brazil.

Who should be Real Madrid’s main penalty-taker?

It seems like both Mbappe and Vinicius are set to share the penalty responsibility as one cannot become the main penalty taker of the club. Even Ancelotti said both can decide on the pitch. But it seems like Vinicius is likely to be their main spot-kick taker as he was the chosen one when Benzema left. If he is not on the pitch then Mbappe is going to be the second penalty taker.

However, if either of them are not on the pitch then in their absence, Real also have Bellingham and Rodrygo to take the spot kicks.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.