Kylian Mbappe’s penalty problem exposed after Real Madrid defeat to Betis | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe’s blistering start to the season has already hit its first bump, with the Real Madrid forward’s missed penalty against Real Betis exposing an area of his game that has historically been less reliable.

Mbappe had given Madrid fans plenty of reasons for optimism in the opening weeks. 

He scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad before finding the net again against Malaga, making it four goals across his first three matches of the season.

The performance against Betis, though, was a different story. 

Mbappe struggled to make the same impact and then missed an injury-time penalty, with Alvaro Valles making the save as Madrid eventually suffered a 0-1 defeat.

Mbappe’s penalty numbers make uncomfortable reading

Mbappe’s latest miss adds to a record that is far from elite when compared with some of Real Madrid’s previous specialists.

Mbappe missed a crucial penalty vs Real Betis. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Including the Betis penalty, Mbappe has now missed 16 of the 81 penalties he has taken during his career, excluding shoot-outs. That represents a failure rate of 19.7%.

His numbers with Real Madrid are even less convincing, having converted 19 of 24 penalties for the club, meaning his miss rate stands at 20.8%, effectively one missed penalty in every five attempts.

Mbappe’s record compared with Madrid legends

The comparison with Real Madrid’s previous penalty takers provides better context.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed only 13 of his 92 penalties, giving him a miss rate of 14.1%. Sergio Ramos was considerably more dependable, missing just one of his 23 attempts, which is a rate of 4.3%.

All three sets of figures exclude penalty shoot-outs, making the comparison more relevant to normal match situations.

Mbappe therefore has work to do if he is to reach the level of reliability expected from a team’s primary penalty taker. 

Mbappe’s penalty record is quite troublesome. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Sure, his overall goalscoring numbers remain outstanding, but penalties are an important part of that production.

Mourinho should keep faith with Mbappe

Meanwhile, there is little reason for Jose Mourinho or the Real Madrid dressing room to lose confidence in Mbappe because of one miss on matchday four.

His opening performances, particularly the hat-trick against Real Sociedad, provide ample evidence of his quality, and the greater concern may be psychological rather than tactical.

Mbappe’s confidence from the spot will be worth watching, especially because of what he is chasing this season. 

The Ballon d’Or, Pichichi and Golden Boot are all among his ambitions, and penalties offer a valuable route towards the goals required for those prizes.