VfB Stuttgart is dealing with a frustrating penalty curse just before their 2025-26 UEFA Europa League kickoff against Celta Vigo. The German Cup champions host the Spanish side on Thursday evening, and coach Sebastian Hoeness is even musing about tapping Bayern Munich star Harry Kane for some private penalty tips to fix the issue.
“We have to figure out how to tackle this problem,” the 43-year-old Hoeness said ahead of the match.
Since Hoeness stepped in during the summer of 2023, Stuttgart’s penalty success in the Bundesliga sits at a shaky 50%. Last season, they nailed just 10 out of 20 spot-kicks, turning crucial moments into nail-biters.
The woes hit home in their latest Bundesliga clash against St. Pauli, where German midfielder Angelo Stiller flubbed a penalty he later called “embarrassing.” Even though the league-wide penalty success rate hovers around 80%, Stuttgart’s 3-for-8 record last year stands out as a red flag, according to reports.
“It’s clear we need to get better—it’s like a dark cloud hanging over us,” Hoeness added. He’s the son of ex-Bayern great Dieter Hoeness and nephew of Bayern board member Uli Hoeness, giving him plenty of soccer pedigree.
Fans got a flashback to tense times in the German Cup, where Stuttgart barely scraped through their first-round tie against second-division Braunschweig with an 8-7 penalty shootout win. That drama has everyone reminiscing about the club’s penalty heroes from years past.
Back in the early 2000s, Bulgarian star Krassimir Balakov converted 26 of 32 penalties for an 81% hit rate. More recently, striker Serhou Guirassy succeeded on 5 out of 6 between 2022 and 2024. And Serbian midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic went perfect, scoring all 8 of his attempts from 2009 to 2013.
Stiller, who’s stepped back from penalty duty, now urges teammate Ermedin Demirovic—the Bosnian-Herzegovinian international—to take the lead on future kicks.
Hoeness stresses the need for a strict penalty-taking order to break the slump. “It’s not urgent right now, but practice makes perfect,” he noted. He points to England captain Harry Kane as the ultimate role model, with Kane boasting over 88% success and a jaw-dropping streak of 17 straight penalties after joining Bayern—an all-time Bundesliga record.
Stuttgart’s squad and staff are eager to channel that Kane magic as they gear up for Europa League action and aim to shake off their penalty problems in the Bundesliga and beyond.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
