Ancelotti's Drastic Decision on Real Madrid's Penalty Taker: Confidence for Vinícius or Mbappé's Turn?

‘MARCA’ has revealed that Kylian Mbappé will regain his position as the first-choice penalty taker at Real Madrid after Vinícius missed his penalty against Valencia

Last weekend, Real Madrid could have sealed their fate in LaLiga after suffering an unexpected loss to Valencia… if it hadn't been for the gift that, hours later, Barcelona gave them by drawing with Betis. However, the missed penalty by Vinícius in the first half reignited the debate over who should be the primary penalty taker at Real Madrid, and according to MARCA, Ancelotti has made a drastic decision.

Vinícius’ Mistakes That Have Condemned Real Madrid and Brazil

At the start of the season, the main penalty taker for Real Madrid kept changing until Kylian Mbappé took on the responsibility. This situation was questioned by Vinícius, who justified it by saying their goal was to make Mbappé the team's top scorer. A gesture of camaraderie to give him confidence after a shaky start from Mbappé, which, however, saw him hit rock bottom after missing two consecutive penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Club.

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At that point, it was Vinícius who, just like last season, took on his role as Real Madrid’s penalty taker… despite the good form that Kylian Mbappé is in, who is competing with Lewandowski to become the top scorer in LaLiga. However, now it is Vinícius who has struggled, having missed his last two penalty attempts… plus another he wasted with Brazil last November to prevent the equalizer against Venezuela in the South American Qualifiers.

Mbappé Will Regain His Role as Penalty Taker at Real Madrid

The first miss came against Atlético de Madrid in Champions during the return leg at the Metropolitano, which would have spared Real Madrid from having to win the tie in the penalty shootout. The second, this past weekend against Valencia, with a 0-0 scoreline… just before Diakhaby’s goal. Both penalties, moreover, were caused by a Kylian Mbappé who never questioned Vinícius as the penalty taker.

Adding to the missed penalty that Bellingham had against Valencia in the first-leg match, Real Madrid has missed five out of the 16 penalties they've taken this season. Their highest number of errors since the 2013/14 season. These poor statistics can make all the difference in elite football… and have led Ancelotti to decide that Kylian Mbappé will once again become Real Madrid's primary penalty taker.