Kylian Mbappe delivered a match-defining performance on Wednesday, scoring a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs. His goals secured Madrid’s progression to the tournament’s Round of 16. After the game, coach Carlo Ancelotti lauded the forward, suggesting he could reach the heights of Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Mbappe has immense quality and can match Cristiano’s achievements,” Ancelotti said during the post-match press conference at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, the Italian tactician quickly added, “But Cristiano set the bar very high.”
Ancelotti’s comparison carries weight, given his extensive experience in both playing and coaching at the highest level. He coached Ronaldo during their time together at the club between 2013 and 2015, where they won the 2014 UEFA Champions League. Since last summer, Carlo has also been managing Mbappe, offering him firsthand insight into the French forward’s development.
“Mbappe is just beginning his journey at Madrid, and his enthusiasm is undeniable,” Ancelotti remarked. However, he acknowledged the challenges ahead: “It won’t be easy for Mbappe to reach Cristiano’s level; he has a lot of work to do.”
Mbappe’s numbers at Real Madrid
The 2024-25 season began with some challenges for Kylian Mbappe. His performances initially fell short of the high expectations set by his time at Paris Saint-Germain and with the French national team, leaving some fans and analysts disappointed.
However, in recent weeks, he has found his rhythm, fully integrating into Real Madrid’s playing style. The French forward has been in superb form, scoring 18 goals in his last 18 appearances, making him the team’s top scorer for the season. Across all competitions, Kylian has found the back of the net 28 times in 38 games.
In La Liga, Mbappe has already scored 17 goals, sitting second in the league’s top scorer race, just three behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. In the UEFA Champions League, he has netted seven goals, tying with teammate Vinicius Junior, with both players currently among the top five, behind Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, who leads with 10 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid
Despite Mbappe’s impressive numbers, they still pale in comparison to the legendary standards set by Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Real Madrid. In his debut season with the club, CR7 scored 33 goals in 35 appearances, with a remarkable average of 0.94 goals per game — though this would prove to be his lowest in his nine seasons at the club.
By the time he left for Juventus in 2018, Ronaldo had rewritten the club’s record books, becoming Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances. Additionally, he contributed 120 assists and helped the club secure 16 titles during his tenure.