Despite Vinícius Júnior stepping up to the spot against Villarreal, Xabi Alonso made it clear that Kylian Mbappé is Real Madrid’s primary penalty taker.
The France international already has found the back of the net 14 times for Los Blancos this season, and five of his goals have come from penalty kicks. In fact, Mbappé has been perfect from 12 yards out in 2025–26, burying every one of his attempts from the spot when called upon.
Yet it was Vinícius Júnior who took Real Madrid’s penalty in their 3–1 win over Villarreal on Saturday evening. The Brazilian shared a brief exchange with Mbappé before he took the ball and stared down goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, waiting for the opportunity to bag his first brace of the season.
The spot kick was not a great one by any means, and arguably should have been saved, but Vinícius Júnior still successfully converted, making good on Mbappé’s gracious offer.
Following the match, Alonso spoke frankly about the decision: “Kylian will continue to take them, he’s the penalty taker, but today they decided among themselves who would take them.”
Vinícius Júnior won the penalty with a blistering run into the box, forcing a clumsy, desperate challenge from Rafa Marín. Mbappé appeared to reward his teammate’s efforts with giving him the greenlight to take the spot kick.
Real Madrid Hoping to Put Penalty Woes Behind Them
Back in the days when Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos would step up to the spot, Real Madrid were almost-always guaranteed a goal. Yet since the departure of the three legends, penalties have been a major weakness for the Spanish giants.
Last season alone, Los Blancos missed seven penalties, the most by any big club in Europe. Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde all came up empty from the spot at least once, with the Frenchman leading the way with three misses.
Yet under Alonso, Mbappé has been lethal from the spot, converting against Kairat, Levante, Marseille (twice) and Osasuna. His failures against Liverpool, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad in 2024–25 have become nothing more than a distant memory.
Mbappé will hope to keep that consistency moving forward as he continues his early campaign for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Decided’—Xabi Alonso Clarifies Real Madrid’s Penalty Taker Moving Forward.
