Real Madrid continue to lead penalty stats in Europe; Barcelona sit third – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are not a team usually associated with penalties. That honour goes to their arch rivals, Real Madrid, who more often than not, find themselves leading the race in this much debated statistic.

The latest numbers place Barca third among clubs in Europe’s five big leagues for penalties won this season, while Real Madrid remain comfortably out in front.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid have now been awarded 14 penalties in La Liga this season after their latest spot-kick against Atletico Madrid. Barca sit on nine, level with Borussia Dortmund, while Bayern Munich are second on 11.

Barcelona’s nine penalties have helped open the scoring in four league matches: against Villarreal, Celta, Rayo and Sevilla. That detail matters because it shows these decisions have often helped Barca take control of games rather than simply pad results late on.

There is another number that stands out even more from a Barca perspective. In the balance between penalties awarded and penalties conceded, Real Madrid sit at +10, while Barcelona are on +5. That means Madrid’s positive gap is double Barca’s.

Barca being third on the list is notable enough, but the real headline is the distance to first place. Fourteen penalties in 29 league rounds is a huge figure, essentially one every two matches, and nobody else in the five major leagues is matching that pace.

The Catalan club cannot afford to get sucked into fan narratives based on these stats, though. Penalties are part and parcel of the game, and a goal scored from the spot is no less valuable than a screamer from 40 yards.

Barcelona continue to lead the scoring charts comfortably compared with Madrid, and we will have to wait and see where they finish at the end of the season.