The coach Xabi Alonso now must decide who should take the penalty kicks at Real Madrid going forward instead of leaving it “free” as at present. This is to avoid later controversy—especially when the club has players “headstrong, strong-willed” like Vinícius.
Since Alonso took charge, Real Madrid have shown a new, more positive look. The “Royal” club play with much more organization and calm compared to the instability under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2024/25 season. The most noticeable change at Real since Alonso’s appointment is their positivity, the “team first” style rather than a collection of “me-first” personalities. Real under Alonso is now a proper team.
They strive for the club’s victory, not an individual’s. Right now, Real stand temporarily top of the La Liga table after 11 rounds (10 wins, 1 loss), with a 5-point lead over their arch-rivals Barcelona. That’s a big advantage in the title race. Every Real player now seems to know their role, tactics are clearly defined. The foundations are in place and everything is planned to be executed and strived for.
However, amid these significant improvements, one long-standing problem persists and causes debate: who will take responsibility for penalty kicks?
The most recent incident occurred in the 4-0 victory over Valencia, when Vinícius Júnior stepped up to take the penalty. The Brazilian forward failed to convert, and Xabi Alonso’s disappointed reaction from the sideline said it all. It is reported that the Brazil international was given the chance after Kylian Mbappé—who “apparently” had priority to take penalties at Real—gave way to his teammate. That was a good thing. It showed good relations between Mbappé and his supporting teammates. But when Vinícius failed, the story was entirely different. The problem becomes more urgent as Real Madrid have already been awarded six penalties this season.
Every time the referee points to the spot, there seems to be uncertainty about who will take the responsibility. Simply put, with Alonso not yet having “officially” announced the penalty-taking order, players understand implicitly among themselves and sometimes yield to one another. More worryingly, with the recent misses, Real Madrid’s penalty-taking confidence has begun to shake.
Vinícius’s poor penalty against Valencia was the second consecutive miss by Real’s stars, after Mbappé’s miss in El Clásico. This situation raises big questions about the Spaniard coach’s leadership in decisive moments of the match. Looking back a few years, Real always had a designated taker for this. In the era of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos or Karim Benzema—even in Alonso’s final period as club leader. And since Benzema left Real, it seemed the responsibility shifted to Vinícius, then to Modrić, Bellingham and “actually” Mbappé under Carlo Ancelotti.
Opinion at present leans toward the French striker being the one to continue taking all penalties. His record is superior and his composure is “a league apart” from Vinícius or many other cases at Real right now. Although in theory that is so, unless Xabi Alonso makes a clear and decisive rule, the discussion will continue to be “picked apart” every time the referee points to the spot.
Fans even “suggest” to Alonso that if he struggles to choose between Mbappé and Vinícius, he should hand the job to Trent (Alexander-Arnold) – a specialist in spot kicks.
This is a small matter but hides big risks, and could affect the results of important matches in the future. Missing in the league or a qualifying round of the Champions League can be “rescued,” but if it happens in a knockout or final of a major tournament, the impact would be extremely serious. Alonso knows exactly what that means.
Also, there have been many cases of players vying to take penalties with their own teammates because of the lack of clarity from the head coach. This has left a stain and damaged the club’s image. Vinícius is talented but shows his maturity is “a fragile thread.” Just a hint of dissatisfaction and he argues with Alonso on the pitch in front of fans, the club and opponents. To avoid trouble and needless annoyance, the time for Alonso to promptly settle this “small” issue and bring long-term stability to the team has come.