Real Madrid reach historic La Liga penalty milestone after Racing Santander victory

Real Madrid reach historic La Liga penalty milestone after Racing Santander victory Real Madrid continued their fine form at El Sardinero, securing an impressive 3-0 victory over Racing Santander. Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande scored the goals for Jose Mourinho’s side on the day. The Frenchman’s goal saw him score against his 24th different opponent in La Liga , but it came under controversial circumstances. Mbappe was awarded a debatable penalty, and questions have been raised about whether he dived. According to Mundo Deportivo , the penalty awarded to Mbappe at El Sardinero was Real Madrid’s 601st in La Liga history. This extended Los Blancos ‘ lead as the club with the most spot-kicks awarded in the competition. Former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez argued that the contact was insufficient to justify a penalty. Real Madrid lead historic La Liga penalty rankings Barcelona are second on the list, with 520 penalties awarded, followed by Atletico Madrid with 498. Los Blancos have received 81 more penalties than the next closest team and 103 more than their city rivals. Kylian Mbappe was awarded a soft penalty against Racing Santander. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) The trend also extends into the 21st century. During this period, Real Madrid lead the rankings with 235 penalties. That puts them ahead of Barcelona with 204 and Athletic Club with 171. Interestingly, Atletico Madrid do not make the top three here. Do the statistics tell the complete story? Such numbers tend to prompt opposition supporters to make the lazy argument about favouritism towards Real Madrid. The total number of penalties awarded to Los Blancos does not automatically establish favourable treatment from referees. Real Madrid have always tended to have more unpredictable, pacy forwards who thrive in transition. Real Madrid have a lot of pacy forwards who tend to be trickery for opposition defences. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) There is a much higher chance of winning a penalty when running towards goal than when keeping possession for long spells. While some penalties, like the one against Racing, may come under scrutiny, such calls go in favour of every team. The important thing is that even without that penalty, Los Blancos played sublime football against Verdiblancos . Mourinho is getting his team purring at the perfect time, and it remains to be seen how they fare against AEK Athens in midweek.