Mbappe walks in Cristiano's shoes: he scores goals for fun, but titles keep slipping away. In two seasons at Real Madrid, just two Super Cups. No league, no cup, no Champions League.
Kylian Mbappe follows in the footsteps of Cristiano. In the good and in the bad. Because like his idol, he gorged himself on goals from the start — 33 goals in 35 matches in 2009/10 and 53 in 54 matches in 2010/11 —, but he also took time to fill his trophy case. In those two years, only at the end of the 2010/11 campaign did his first title arrive, in the Cup final against Barcelona.
Mbappe is about to finish his second season at Real Madrid. And the truth is that the titles are fewer than expected. No league, no cup, no Champions League, but he has the consolation of the European Super Cup and the recovered Intercontinental Cup, both in 2024.
The truth is that this comparison helps to see things from another perspective, perhaps less alarming. Cristiano ended up making history at Real Madrid, not only with goals but also with all the titles. Two leagues, two cups, two Super Cups, four Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, two European Super Cups...
Individual titles also arrived at Madrid, although he also had to wait. His first Ballon d'Or arrived in 2013, more than three years after his arrival, and he repeated in 2014, 2016, and 2017. His first Golden Boot with Madrid came in 2011, although Kylian won it in his first campaign.
And what Mbappe has not failed at from the start, just like Cristiano did, is his date with goal. In this campaign, he already has 40 goals in 41 matches. In the last campaign, he also surpassed the 44 mark, scoring 44 goals in 59 matches.
Kylian played his 100th match this past Friday against Betis; unfortunately for his cause, he could not add to the score, and his team tied 1-1, losing any chance of catching Barcelona in the race for the title.
Right now, he has 84 goals in 99 matches. The forward is preparing to win his second Pichichi. He has 24 goals and has put some distance between himself and Muriqi, who has 21. Repeating the Golden Boot is more complicated for him because Kane does not forgive in the Bundesliga.
Currently, the French forward has a minor hamstring injury in his left leg, and his participation in the Clasico vs. Barcelona is in limbo. It is very important that he take the recovery process very seriously, since France has about a month to send its final list to FIFA.
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