By Martin Graham
Kylian Mbappe secured another decisive contribution for Real Madrid on Tuesday, converting two penalties in their Champions League clash with Marseille. These goals took his total for the club to 50, achieved in just 64 appearances.
This makes Mbappe the quickest to reach the milestone at Real since Cristiano Ronaldo, who managed it in 54 matches following his 2009 transfer from Manchester United. By comparison, Karim Benzema reached 50 goals in 106 games, while Vinicius Jr took 200 appearances to hit the same mark.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, later became the club’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals and secured four Champions League trophies and two La Liga titles during his nine years in Madrid.
Early challenges and strong form
During his first season at the Bernabeu, Mbappe did not capture a domestic trophy and narrowly missed out on a Champions League title, which was claimed by his former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite this, the 26-year-old has added a new attacking dimension to Real, scoring 44 goals in 56 matches across all competitions last season. His impressive form has continued into the current campaign, with six goals in just five games.
This summer, Mbappe took over the iconic number 10 shirt, previously worn by club legends such as Luka Modric, Ferenc Puskas, and Luis Figo. Following the Marseille victory, Mbappe emphasized his team-first mindset, saying he focuses on whatever the manager requires, whether that is scoring, assisting, or pressing.
Milestones at club and international level
Mbappe also recently surpassed Thierry Henry to become France’s second-highest all-time scorer. Before joining Real, he had set a record as PSG’s top scorer, amassing 256 goals since leaving Monaco in 2017.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid also celebrated historic achievements in European competition. The club became the first to register 200 Champions League wins (excluding the European Cup) and the first to score 700 goals in the tournament – 68 more than the nearest competitor.
