Penalty kicks: Mbappé's ongoing weakness

Kylian Mbappé has once again faced questions regarding penalties after missing one during Real Madrid's 1-0 loss to Real Betis in LaLiga, highlighting a recurring weakness that has accompanied the French star throughout his career with the Spanish giants.

Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty against Real Betis' goalkeeper, Valis, at the Estadio La Cartuja, in a moment that sparked much debate, especially since the penalty came in a match where Real Madrid needed to score to avoid their first defeat of the season.

This was not the first penalty miss for Kylian Mbappé in recent times, as he previously missed a penalty against Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, when goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved his shot. The French player continues to face difficulties from the penalty spot in major matches.

Including the penalty missed by Real Betis, Kylian Mbappé has missed 16 penalties out of 81 taken during his career, excluding shootouts, with a miss rate of 19.7%.

The percentage worsens when it comes to his time at Real Madrid, where he missed 5 penalties out of 24 taken, resulting in a rate of 20.8%, which is approximately one missed penalty for every five attempts.

A comparison of these figures with the last two prominent penalty takers in Real Madrid's history reveals a clear difference; Cristiano Ronaldo missed 13 penalties out of 92 with the club, a rate of 14.1%, while Sergio Ramos missed only one out of 23, with a rate of just 4.3%.

Despite this, it does not seem that José Mourinho or the Real Madrid dressing room will lose faith in Mbappé due to a missed penalty in the fourth round of LaLiga, especially since the French forward started the season with strong performances, highlighted by scoring a hat-trick against Real Sociedad.

José Mourinho defended his striker after the match against Real Betis, stating, "When a player goes to take a penalty, we all go with him," in a clear message of support for Kylian Mbappé despite the miss.

With Kylian Mbappé striving to compete for the Ballon d'Or, the LaLiga top scorer title, and the European Golden Shoe, the French star cannot afford to squander a valuable opportunity like penalties, which give him a direct route to add more goals to his tally.

Consequently, Kylian Mbappé's task in the upcoming period will be to regain consistency and confidence from the penalty spot, turning this opportunity into a source of strength rather than allowing it to become a weakness that threatens his career with Real Madrid.