Mbappé's scorching start has him on CR7's legendary trajectory
The French superstar is scoring at a rate that challenges Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid legacy, with 82 goals in 90 matches already putting him on pace for greatness.
The French superstar is rapidly building a goal tally that has even club insiders making comparisons to Madrid’s greatest ever goalscorer.
Challenging the Unchallenged
Imagining anyone could match Cristiano Ronaldo’s Madrid numbers once seemed like proper science fiction. But Kylian Mbappé is proving himself to be a bit of a sci-fi character himself, ain’t he? His Valencia strike took him to 38 goals in just 31 matches this season - that’s a mind-boggling 1.22 goals per game. While CR7’s throne remains secure for now, the French phenom is starting to give it a proper look.
Álvaro Arbeloa put it perfectly when he said: “We thought we wouldn’t see anything like Cristiano again, but Mbappé seems to be heading that way.”
Not since Ronaldo packed his bags and left the Bernabéu has Madrid relied so heavily on one player’s goalscoring prowess - with all due respect to Benzema’s brilliant 2021-22 campaign. The feeling around the capital is crystal clear: Madrid will go exactly as far as Mbappé can take them this season.
The Numbers Game
Ronaldo’s final Madrid tally stands at a barely believable 451 goals in 438 matches - numbers that seem from another planet in the club’s storied history. Mbappé’s current 82 goals might look like small potatoes in comparison, but the rate he’s closing that gap is absolutely frightening:
- Mbappé: 82 goals in 90 matches (0.91 goals per game)
- Ronaldo: 86 goals in his first 90 Madrid matches
At his current scoring rate, the Frenchman would need 496 matches to surpass Cristiano’s 451. Assuming about 55 games per season, that’s roughly nine full campaigns - potentially breaking the record around 2032-33 when he’d be 34.
But here’s where it gets proper tasty - if he somehow maintained this season’s scoring rate (which is admittedly a tall order), he could overtake CR7 in just 302 more matches. For context, Ronaldo’s best-ever season saw him score at 1.13 goals per game in 2014-15.
Beyond the Goals
Of course, Cristiano wasn’t just about the numbers. The Portuguese was the cornerstone of La Décima and that historic Zidane team that won three consecutive Champions Leagues. He was a proper superhero for an entire generation of Madridistas.
Mbappé is just beginning to write his own chapter in Madrid’s history books, and he knows better than anyone that goals alone won’t cement his legacy. At a club with 15 European Cups in the trophy cabinet, it’s silverware that separates the legends from the merely brilliant.
The lad’s on his way, though. No two ways about it.