Barcelona had their third-choice goalkeeper Szczesny to thank for ensuring Madrid didn't complete a demolition job of Barcelona at the Bernabeu last weekend. He made nine saves – the most by a goalkeeper in an El Clasico since April 2017 – which also included a second-half save against an Mbappe penalty. It's the first time since the 2015-16 season that a goalkeeper made a successful penalty save in El Clasico.
With that, he has now saved the penalties of some of the greatest players in football history, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar. When asked how he prepares for penalties, the Polish goalkeeper said: “I study the penalty takers a lot before matches. I usually watch the last 20 penalties taken by the two or three players responsible for taking them and try to find the pattern in their shots. Sometimes their run-up also gives me information. There are players who shoot differently at important moments in the match or if the team is winning or losing. I try to gather all that information and then go with my instincts.
“As for Mbappe, he scored the last penalty against me (in the 4-3 win at home last season). I was feeling confident and knew he would choose the same side. Then you have to hope it happens, and luckily it did."