Madrid, absolute 'king' of penalties in favor in Europe

In the midst of the scandal over the alleged "purchase of referees" carried out by FC Barcelona between 2016 and 2018, Real Madrid continues to show that, in LaLiga, hardly a referee dares to harm their interests. Against Elche, the Whites added two penalties in their favour, consolidating their position as the team with the most maximum penalties in their favor sanctioned in 2022/23 with a total of ten, three more than those accumulated by Girona in the tournament.

In fact, only Lazio and Atalanta (nine penalties in favor in Serie A) come close to the average number of free kicks in the area favored by the 'merengues'. On Wednesday, judge Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea sanctioned two penalties in the first half that were converted by Karim Benzema. The first was produced by a clear hand from Enzo Rico before a header from '9'. The second did not admit discussion either before a very clear foul by Diego González on Rodrygo Goes.

On the previous day, the VAR had ratified a penalty by goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic on Vinicius Jr that Marco Asensio was in charge of wasting. Even in the Club World Cup there was luck for the whites, with a maximum penalty in the semifinals that Luka Modric also missed. Adding up the penalties awarded in all competitions, with 14 in favor of Madrid in 2022/23, only two fewer than those received last season.

In 2021/23, the whites had 16 penalties in their favour. 15 of them were kicked by Karim Benzema, who missed four of those charges. This season, the '9' missed a penalty against Osasuna, at the decisive end for the draw at the Santiago Bernabéu (1-1). Previously, Eden Hazard had missed a charge from the fateful spot against Celta, an inconsequential action for the final result. With this, Carlo Ancelotti's men add 10 of 14 maximum penalties converted.

Madrid, historical leader in penalties in LaLiga

With the two penalties against Elche, Madrid consolidates itself as the historical leader of LaLiga in penalties in favor with 560. It is followed by Barça with 520 maximum penalties in the First Division. Further back are Atlético de Madrid (478) and Valencia (469). Of course, never having descended weighs in the history in favor of 'merengues' and culés at a domestic level.