Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo both made striking impacts at Real Madrid, reaching 40 goals early in their careers. While Mbappe surpassed Ronaldo’s debut season goal tally, Ronaldo achieved the 40-goal milestone in fewer games, highlighting the Portuguese legend’s rapid scoring efficiency during his early years at the club.
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The Frenchman is already breaking records in his debut season
Kylian Mbappe’s equalizer in a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Mallorca not only delayed Barcelona’s LaLiga title celebrations but also marked his 40th goal in his debut season with Real Madrid.
Comparing him to club legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Madrid already a Champions League and Ballon d’Or winner, shows the high standards Mbappe is chasing. Ronaldo’s nine seasons at Real were prolific, averaging over a goal per game, winning four Champions Leagues, and becoming the club’s all-time top scorer.
While Mbappe hasn’t yet won the Champions League or Ballon d’Or, he has a World Cup victory and came close to a second, scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Messi’s Argentina. With 40 goals in just 54 matches across all competitions, the French star has set a new record for most goals in a debut Real Madrid season, breaking the previous mark with his hat-trick in the thrilling 4-3 defeat to Barcelona.
However, Kylian Mbappe’s debut season in Spain has been trophy-less, much like Ronaldo’s early years at Real Madrid.
Despite Mbappe’s undeniable goal-scoring prowess, Carlo Ancelotti has struggled to build a cohesive squad around him. After winning both LaLiga and the Champions League the previous season, the team appears to have regressed.
In October 2010, Ronaldo reached his 46th appearance, scoring four goals in a 6-1 win over Racing Santander to take his tally beyond 40. While Mbappe has surpassed Ronaldo’s 33 goals from his debut season, Ronaldo reached 40 goals in fewer games.
Kylian Mbappe vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Who reached 40 goals quicker for Real Madrid?
Mbappe
- Games: 54
- Goals: 40
- Penalties: 7
- Free-Kicks: 1
- Assists: 5
- Minutes per goal: 111
- Minutes per non-penalty goal: 134
- Minutes per goal or assist: 98
Ronaldo
- Games: 46
- Goals: 43
- Penalties: 7
- Free-Kicks: 7
- Assists: 14
- Minutes per goal: 90
- Minutes per non-penalty goal: 108
- Minutes per goal or assist: 68
