Kylian Mbappe leads unwanted chances-missed chart despite Real Madrid scoring form

Kylian Mbappe’s ability to produce goals from seemingly impossible situations continues to be matched by his tendency to miss clear opportunities.

The Real Madrid forward has scored 13 goals in La Liga, but according to a report by Sport, he shares the lead for most big chances missed across Europe’s five major leagues. Mbappe and Everton forward Thierno Barry have both failed to convert 16 such opportunities.

Across all club competitions, Mbappe is second among players from Europe’s top five leagues in scoring, with 17 goals. Only Raphinha has scored more.

Mbappe is therefore the clear leader for missed chances in La Liga. Real Sociedad forward Orri Oskarsson is next on nine, while Barcelona’s Karim Adeyemi is third with eight. Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Villarreal’s Ayoze Perez have each missed seven.

That leaves Mbappe seven clear of the next player in Spain, a significant margin given the volume of attacking chances created by Real Madrid.

In the wider European comparison, Mbappe and Thierno Barry lead with 16 missed chances. Roma forward Donyell Malen tops the Serie A list with 15.

The figures are lower in France and Germany. Nice forward Elye Wahi has missed nine clear chances in Ligue 1, while Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart’s Ermedin Demirovic and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane have each missed eight in the Bundesliga.

A pattern dating back to Paris Saint-Germain

Mbappe’s unusual combination of prolific scoring and frequent misses has been evident throughout his career.

After joining Real Madrid, he finished the 2024-2025 La Liga season as the competition’s top scorer with 31 goals and also led the division for missed big chances. According to FotMob, he missed 29, compared with 23 for Robert Lewandowski and 20 apiece for Alexander Sørloth and Raphinha.

The pattern continued last season, when Mbappe missed 21 clear chances in La Liga during 2025-2026. Ferran Torres was next with 20, followed by Georges Mikautadze and Vedat Muriqi on 19 each.

His current total of 16 is already five short of last season’s figure. The trend also predates his move to Spain: in Ligue 1 during 2022-2023, Mbappe topped the same statistic after missing 28 clear chances, two more than Folarin Balogun.

Opta defines a big chance as a particularly favourable scoring opportunity, including some one-on-ones with the goalkeeper and close-range attempts taken without significant defensive pressure. Penalties are also included, and the chance can still count if it is saved rather than missed wide.

Mbappe compared with Raphinha

Mbappe’s ability to reach these positions remains an important part of his value as a forward. However, the expected-goals figures on FotMob provide another contrast with Raphinha.

Mbappe has scored 13 goals from an expected-goals total of 14.6, a shortfall of 1.6. Raphinha has scored 15 from 11.2 expected goals, exceeding his figure by 3.8.

Expected goals estimate the likelihood of a shot becoming a goal based on factors such as distance and angle.

Real Madrid have a striker who has scored in seven consecutive matches, but Mbappe’s high number of opportunities also highlights the scope for greater efficiency. His output remains exceptional, even as he shares an unwanted statistical lead.