Mbappé Beats Messi and Ronaldo: 500 Goal Contributions by 26

No footballer in history has reached this milestone faster than Kylian.

Talks of Mbappé’s move to Real Madrid have quieted down. And it’s not just because nearly six months have passed since his debut for Los Blancos, but also due to the star forward’s progress. In his last 19 matches, Mbappé has scored an impressive 15 goals, one of which saved Real Madrid from defeat in the Madrid Derby (1-1).

That goal was a textbook example: Mbappé quickly reacted near the penalty spot, beating Atlético defenders to the rebound and smashing the ball into Jan Oblak’s net without hesitation. This is significant because, throughout the fall, Mbappé was criticized for his inability to play as a central striker — a role he dislikes, preferring the left flank where he has more space to exploit.

It’s through his bursts of speed and dribbling that Mbappé became famous at PSG, where he recorded an incredible 364 goal contributions (256 goals + 108 assists) in 308 matches. Add 40 points at Monaco, 69 with the French national team, and 27 at Real Madrid, and you get precisely 500 goal contributions by age 26. No one in history has achieved this faster than Kylian.

For comparison, Neymar had 492 contributions at this age, Lionel Messi had 486, and Cristiano Ronaldo had 302. Impressive numbers, but Mbappé’s potential for growth is enormous. And here, comparisons to Cristiano seem inevitable.

The Portuguese star also started as a left winger, a point he lamented in a recent interview: “Of course, I’m the greatest goal scorer, but people forget the immense effort I had to put in to become one, as I was originally trained for a completely different role.”

It was at Real Madrid that Ronaldo took on the role of a number nine, sacrificing much of his diverse technical arsenal in the process. Interestingly, Mbappé’s trajectory in Madrid mirrors Ronaldo’s first season. Take La Liga, for instance: Ronaldo scored 26 goals in his debut season, while Mbappé has 16 after 23 matchdays.

What’s the point here? Mbappé’s 500 contributions are undoubtedly impressive, but there’s a good chance we’re witnessing the rise of a truly great goal scorer — one who, who knows, might even break Ronaldo’s records. And all it took was a little patience for Kylian to adapt to Spain.

Published by Patrick Jane
10.02.2025