Kylian Mbappé, after a subdued start to his Real Madrid tenure, has etched his name into club history by surpassing a record held by one of its legendary forwards.
The French forward struck twice in Madrid's 2-1 comeback victory over Villarreal on Saturday, taking his season's tally across all competitions to 31 goals—one more than Brazilian great Ronaldo managed in his first campaign at the club.
The result also helped Madrid extend their lead at the summit of La Liga, moving three points clear of Barcelona, albeit with the latter having played two matches fewer.
Mbappé's initial struggles in front of goal are now a distant memory. Having eclipsed Ronaldo's tally from 2002-03, he is now on the cusp of matching the 33 goals Cristiano Ronaldo scored in his debut season for Madrid in 2009-10.
“They are legends who marked eras with the club,” Mbappé remarked. “If I score more goals than Ronaldo and Cristiano, it doesn't mean that I am better, just that my first season is better. Scoring goals is important, but it is even more so if we win La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey.”
His brace against Villarreal also brought him within touching distance of Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who leads La Liga's scoring charts with 21 goals, just one more than Mbappé.
Comeback against villarreal
Villarreal provided stern resistance in a thrilling contest, with Alex Baena and Nicolas Pepe orchestrating dangerous attacking moves. Thibaut Courtois was kept busy, making crucial saves to thwart Pepe, Ayoze Pérez, and Pape Gueye.
However, Madrid's resilience proved decisive, as Mbappé ruthlessly capitalised on defensive lapses. Villarreal coach Marcelino Toral admitted, “Mbappé didn't participate much, but he was lethal.”
The hosts had taken an eighth-minute lead when Juan Foyth found the net following a chaotic goalmouth scramble. Madrid responded swiftly, with Mbappé equalising in the 17th minute after his initial assist for Brahim Díaz resulted in a rebound that he dispatched clinically.
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Six minutes later, the Frenchman struck again. Left unmarked at the edge of the box, he latched onto a Lucas Vázquez pass and slotted a precise effort into the bottom-right corner.
Villarreal's Thierno Barry and Foyth squandered opportunities early in the second half, but Madrid's defensive adjustments ensured they saw out the win.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to rest Vinícius Júnior and Antonio Rüdiger until the final half-hour, while Luka Modrić was introduced later, mindful of Madrid's gruelling midweek Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
“This was an important and difficult game against one of the best teams in the league,” Mbappé acknowledged. “After the game against Atletico and its added time, it was very tough today, but we knew we had to win. We showed character and that we wanted this win.”
Ancelotti voiced his frustration at Madrid's congested schedule, highlighting the lack of adequate recovery time.
“This is the last time we will play within 72 hours,” he declared, referencing Madrid's Champions League fixture against Atletico, which ended in a penalty shootout on Wednesday night, before Saturday's 6:30 p.m. La Liga kickoff.
Other La Liga highlights
Elsewhere, Vedat Muriqi redeemed himself with a stoppage-time penalty to hand Mallorca a 2-1 victory over Espanyol.
The forward had earlier conceded an own goal and missed a penalty before finally converting from the spot.
Espanyol's Joan García produced a heroic display, saving two penalties before Mallorca's third attempt proved decisive.
Meanwhile, Marcos Alonso netted a late penalty to secure a 1-0 win for Celta Vigo against Valladolid, and Cristhian Stuani salvaged a point for Girona in a 1-1 draw with Valencia.
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