The Frenchman trembles: the ghost of Ronaldo haunts Mbappe at Real Madrid
Will Mourinho make a shocking decision?
Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty at La Cartuja, Vallés diving to save it and costing his team at least a point amid wide controversy. The miss reawakened old fears in the French star, coming after a run-up that took in two steps to the left and the same to the front, a brief pause, then three more steps and another to prepare his right foot.
Spanish newspaper "AS" reported that this crisis from twelve yards haunted the player for weeks, if not months, during his first year. His missed penalty in December 2024 at San Mamés plunged him into a crisis of confidence, the second within a single week after he had missed another at Anfield. In a start where nothing went his way, penalties offered no help. Real Madrid suffered too, losing both matches against Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool.
Publicly, the player blamed himself, forcing coach Carlo Ancelotti to allow multiple penalty takers. Vinícius and Jude Bellingham stepped in without much success. The situation now is different, yet Kylian is facing his doubts once again from the penalty spot.
Vallés' save at La Cartuja extended the string of failures. It joins his previous miss, taken in the World Cup quarter-final against Morocco with goalkeeper Bono his most prominent opponent.
The numbers make grim reading. Yesterday's miss took Mbappé's tally to 16 failed penalties out of 81 taken, excluding shootouts, a failure rate of 19.7 per cent. That rate climbs at Real Madrid to 20.8 per cent, five missed from 24, or roughly one in five.
Data on the last two great penalty specialists at Real Madrid tells a very different story. Cristiano missed only 14.1 per cent in the white shirt, 13 from 92, while Sergio Ramos posted a far lower rate of 4.3 per cent, a single miss from 23, both figures excluding shootouts. The metric reveals plainly that tension has come to affect Mbappé's pulse and foot to a greater extent.
José Mourinho defended his striker in poetic fashion, returning to events at La Cartuja. "When one of us steps forward to take a penalty, we all step forward," he said firmly.
Admiration for the wearer of the number 10 shirt ran through the Portuguese coach's individual assessments. "He is a very good player," he said at his first press conference.
Mbappé retains his absolute leadership. Neither Mourinho nor the dressing room will lose faith in him over a missed penalty in the fourth round of the league, especially after the French international opened his season with strong performances such as a hat-trick against Real Sociedad.
The only concerns are limited to what is going on in Mbappé's own mind. His leadership from the penalty spot is indisputable so far, and Kylian cannot afford to lose this precious way of scoring goals in his pursuit of the Ballon d'Or, the top scorer title and the Golden Boot.
