Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, has decided to replace Vinicius Jr as the team’s primary penalty taker, with Kylian Mbappe taking on the responsibility starting from the next game, according to Marca.
Ancelotti made this decision following Vinicius’ missed penalty in the 2-1 loss to Valencia in La Liga. The Brazilian winger’s weak attempt was easily saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili, resulting in a missed opportunity for an early lead.
Mbappe will now step up to take penalties for Los Blancos, beginning with their upcoming Champions League match against Arsenal.
This was Vinicius’ second penalty miss of the 2024-25 season, as he had previously failed to convert a spot-kick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
While Mbappe has now been entrusted with penalty duties, the report mentioned that if he also fails to score from the spot, the next in line to take penalties will be Jude Bellingham.
