Álvaro Benito Proposes a 'Dark Horse' to be Madrid's First Penalty Taker

The Match Against Valencia, played at Santiago Bernabéu, reopens a debate that seemed closed for months. Far from being focused on refereeing controversies, the discussions dominating Madrid's current affairs are motivated by Vinícius Jr.'s miss from the penalty spot in that match played at Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid had the opportunity to take the lead with the match just started, but the poor shot by the '7' verdeamarelo squandered such an approach. At the same time, it would determine the final result of the match in a completely unexpected way. Meanwhile, comments about this tactical aspect of the club have not been long in coming.

It's no wonder, given the unusual number of misses that the main shooters designated by the white technical staff have committed since the 24/25 season began. The 'Fantastic Four' share a reduced effectiveness from the penalty spot this season, although the best positioned to definitively assume that responsibility is none other than Kylian Mbappé. The white '9' has become the 'goal hunter' of the merengue scheme.

While it is true that this change of role in the team is causing the Bondy striker not to have his best performance, he is gradually starting to get used to it. That's why Vinícius's discreet and widely discussed shot surprised everyone: Mbappé is vying for the chance to win the Pichichi against Robert Lewandowski in the current league season... and that penalty would have brought him closer to the current mark of the Polish bomber.

Option Not Considered Until Now

Álvaro Benito, far from settling for Kylian Mbappé as Real Madrid's designated penalty taker, went a step further and proposed an unexpected candidate. The Cadena SER commentator, who knows the ins and outs of the Madrid entity well, brought up the name of a white captain: Fede Valverde.

"First, the penalty. Why doesn't Valverde take them?", asked the former Madrid player and coach after Vinícius Jr.'s miss. This comment was accompanied by a devastating statistic recalled by the former merengue midfielder: "he has a 100% effectiveness in his career".

Faced with Kylian Mbappé's proposal, Álvaro Benito insisted again on his idea: "he has a 100% effectiveness in his career. And even in penalty shootouts, which is when there's the most tension to score a penalty", concludes the Cadena SER commentator about his personal choice for this important tactical aspect.

The reality is that Real Madrid must find a solution to cut the succession of missed penalties this season. The emergence of Fede Valverde as a possible candidate to assume that responsibility would give greater prominence to a player who is already a reference in direct free kicks due to his powerful shot.