Kylian Mbappe's Penalty Miss Raises Questions About 'Stutter' Technique in FIFA World Cup 2026

Whether France wins the World Cup for the third time or not, many will probably not remember the moment Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty in the quarter-final against Morocco for a long time.

Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe in the match played in Foxborough, which was goalless, and France was awarded a penalty. As Mbappe stepped up to take the penalty, he adopted a 'stutter' or momentary pause style during his run-up. He aimed at goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but Bounou easily saved the weak shot.

However, Mbappe made up for it in the 60th minute of the game. He broke through Morocco's strong defense with an excellent curling shot. Six minutes later, Ousmane Dembele added another goal, securing a 2-0 victory for France and a place in the semi-finals.

However, that unexpected penalty failure from Mbappe, one of the joint top scorers of the tournament, has raised a question again - is it time for players to stop taking penalties with the 'stutter' style?

Among the aspects of modern football that traditional supporters dislike, the stutter run-up is a major one. Players wearing gloves with short-sleeved jerseys, the habit of diving, and this style, like the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), have also been at the center of criticism.

'Stutter' has no formal definition. But according to FIFA rules, players can pause or use deceptive moves during their run-up before taking a penalty, but they cannot do so at the last moment before striking the ball.

In this World Cup, Mbappe is joined by Bruno Guimaraes, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Lionel Messi, and Harry Kane in the list of players who missed penalties using the stutter style. However, Kane got a chance to retake his first penalty against Croatia and scored without using the stutter on the second attempt.

This is not a new technique. John Aldridge, Mexican great striker Hugo Sanchez, and Pele also used this style to deceive the goalkeeper. But if the goalkeeper does not dive hastily, this strategy can backfire on the player.

In this World Cup, Mbappe is joined by Bruno Guimaraes, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Lionel Messi, and Harry Kane in the list of players who missed penalties using the stutter style. However, Kane got a chance to retake his first penalty against Croatia and scored without using the stutter on the second attempt.

A total of 26 penalties have been taken in this World Cup, including penalty shootouts, using the stutter style. Of these, 11 were not goals. That is, the success rate is only 57 percent.

Speaking to ITV, former England striker Ian Wright said, 'The stutter style seems to be a problem now. Goalkeepers have now found a way around it.'

However, Marko Arnautovic, Raul Jimenez, Neymar, Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joane Vissah, and Kai Havertz have successfully scored using this style.

On the other hand, 24 goals have been scored from 35 penalties taken without using the stutter. This brings the success rate to 68 percent.

Overall, this World Cup has been disappointing for players trying to score from 12 yards.

In this World Cup, 30 percent of penalties, excluding penalty shootouts, have been unsuccessful. This is the second-worst success rate in any World Cup since statistics began in 1966.

If penalty shootouts are also included, the failure rate reaches 35 percent, which is the highest since 1966.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said, 'There is an arms race in penalties right now. Scoring goals is much harder than before. Because today's goalkeepers are big, strong, and very athletic.'

He added, 'If the goalkeeper guesses the right direction, you have to hit the ball at high speed into the corner of the net. Even then, it can be saved.'

This was only Mbappe's second penalty miss for France. He has scored 14 out of 16 penalties he has taken so far. His success rate is slightly lower in club football. He has scored 50 out of 62 penalties.

'Earlier, an excellent penalty was almost a sure goal. Not anymore. Therefore, players have started thinking of new methods. The purpose of the stutter is also to send the goalkeeper in the wrong direction.'

'Goalkeepers now have detailed statistics. They have all the information about what style each player adopts. It is no longer possible to hide your favorite style. Therefore, there is a continuous strategic competition between players and goalkeepers.'

'Mbappe's biggest strength is his preparation. He follows a specific routine before taking a penalty. Today he repeated that routine twice, but had to do it a third time due to VAR check, and he failed on the third attempt.'

This was only Mbappe's second penalty miss for France. He has scored 14 out of 16 penalties he has taken so far. His success rate is slightly lower in club football. He has scored 50 out of 62 penalties.

Morocco's Yassine Bounou, on the other hand, is known as a goalkeeper skilled at saving penalties. In the World Cup, only two out of the nine penalties he has faced (including shootouts) have been goals. He has saved four penalties, while three shots have gone wide.

On Thursday, Mbappe had to wait a very long time to take the penalty. Due to VAR checks, three minutes and 12 seconds passed from the moment the penalty was awarded to the moment Bounou made the save.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, French football journalist Julien Laurens said that the reason for Mbappe's failure was the disruption of his regular preparation routine.

He said, 'His normal rhythm was broken and it was a really bad penalty.'

Laurens added, 'The shot was weak and very easy to save. Bounou is an excellent goalkeeper when it comes to saving penalties.'

'A regular routine is extremely important in football. The long wait for VAR clearly distracted Mbappe. Once given permission, he seemed to shoot in haste.'

Speaking to ITV, former Ireland midfielder Roy Keane said, 'It is not fair to force a player to wait for more than three minutes. These are world-class players, but a penalty is a high-pressure situation in itself. Why wait for three minutes?'

He added, 'Time is the biggest enemy for a striker. In such a situation, the advantage gradually shifts towards the goalkeeper and the team that conceded the penalty.'

Ian Wright had the same opinion. He said, 'The longer a player has to wait to take a penalty, the more they start to doubt what they are going to do.'

From BBC