Who will take freekicks for Real Madrid this season after Toni Kroos' retirement?

The key question for this season is who will replace Toni Kroos as the set-piece taker now that he has retired. The renowned German was renowned for his exceptional skill when faced with a dead ball, as he could effortlessly find teammates or take the goal on his own.

But it looks like Los Blancos have already selected who will replace Kroos in terms of direct free kicks, and it's none other than Kylian Mbappe, their newest Galactico. Marca claims that in addition to receiving the number nine jersey, the French sensation will also be in charge of taking free kicks in perilous positions. 

Although being the team's star player frequently entitles you to this kind of privilege, the 25-year-old's sobering record raises the possibility that he is not the best fit for this specific position. Mbappe scored an amazing 192 goals in 246 games during his tenure at AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain. But none of those goals was from a clear free-kick, so it's surprising that they decided to place him first before anyone else to take them. 

The elite attacker has attempted nine shots on goal overall from dead-ball circumstances, scoring nil and only managing a projected xG of 0.58. The fact that the ace hasn't converted any of his free kicks is so well-known that there is even a dedicated X (Twitter) account for it.

When will Kylian Mbappe make his Real Madrid debut?

The striker might make his debut in the team's first competitive match of the new 2024–25 season versus Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, according to manager Carlo Ancelotti. The France captain hasn't played a game since making an appearance in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final versus Spain.

During an interview with the media, the Real Madrid manager was questioned about the  "Mbappe can obviously play in the Super Cup from the start. Jude Bellingham too and others. They are prepared, they have followed a plan and will all play."