Kylian Mbappe is tearing through records at such a pace that even Real Madrid are starting to mutter the old Ronaldo numbers again, with Xabi Alonso saying the Frenchman is “on his way to making history” at the Bernabeu just like the Portuguese icon did. Mbappe has smashed 55 goals in 2025 already and sits only four shy of the 59 Cristiano Ronaldo managed in 2013, the club’s highest tally in a calendar year.
Spanish press has been banging the comparison drum for weeks, pointing out Mbappe’s influence and ridiculous scoring rate, which has dragged Madrid through games that frankly had no business being as close as they was. Alonso didn’t bother playing it down. “Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid as Cristiano did,” he said in a slightly giddy press briefing. “Not just because of the importance he has in the team, but also because of the ambition he conveys and the number of goals he scores.”
Alonso went one step further, labelling Mbappe as “one of the chosen ones”, a phrase that will doubtless fuel endless memes. “He has this desire not just to do things well, but also to have a positive influence on others. This is something he shares with Cristiano this contagious ambition that inspires the rest of the team,” he added. Madrid dressing rooms hasn’t always reacted well to alpha personalities, but Mbappe appears to have them marching to his tune already.
Mbappe cleaned up last season, scooping both the European Golden Shoe and La Liga’s Pichichi with 31 goals, and he’s playing even better now 16 goals in 15 league matches so far, and a savage nine in five Champions League games. Ronaldo numbers aren’t just speculation, they’re actually staring him in the face. The Frenchman, who had posters of Ronaldo plastered around his childhood bedroom, can chip away at the record again when Celta Vigo rock up at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
And it won’t stop there. Real Madrid then face Erling Haaland’s Manchester City in the Champions League on December 10, followed by league clashes with Alaves and Sevilla, giving Mbappe four games to clear the record before the calendar flicks over. If he keeps up his current clip, he might do it with a few matches to spare.
The scale of Ronaldo’s legacy at Madrid is still obscene 450 goals in 438 games, video game numbers before football analytics learnt how to cope with them. Mbappe, just 24 months into his Madrid adventure, sits on a far more modest 69 in 79 appearances, but the trendline is frightening. If he stays fit, keeps sulking to a minimum, and survives the Bernabeu politics, he’s going to obliterate more than just one record.
Madrid’s fans won’t care about the long term maths though. Right now, they’re watching a generational forward slap defenders about and chase ghosts set by the greatest scorer the club has ever had. Ronaldo’s shadow is massive, but Mbappe is running straight into it with a grin. If this is the beginning, the numbers at the end might be unthinkable.
