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Kylian Mbappe delivered a breathtaking performance on Wednesday, netting a hat-trick to take Real Madrid past Manchester City and into the Champions League last 16 with a commanding 6-3 aggregate victory.
For Mbappe, this was the kind of night he had long dreamed of—first as a boy with Cristiano Ronaldo posters covering his bedroom walls, then during his years at Paris Saint-Germain, where European glory remained elusive. Now, at Madrid, he is finally living those moments on the grandest stage.
After a sluggish start to the season, exacerbated by his adaptation struggles, Madrid needed their marquee signing to step up in the high-stakes play-off round against City. He did just that with three ruthless finishes at the Santiago Bernabeu, reinforcing Madrid’s reputation as European football’s dominant force.
“This is the type of game we want to play,” Mbappe said after the match. “People told me about these nights, and now I can see it with my own eyes—I want to live through many more of them.”
Despite being linked with Madrid for years, his arrival last summer wasn’t smooth sailing. A series of underwhelming displays, including missed penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao, raised doubts. However, the French forward quickly turned things around, netting 18 goals in his last 18 matches to prove his worth.
“I knew that I couldn’t have done worse than I was doing,” Mbappe admitted. “My adaptation time was over—I had to show my quality.”
With 28 goals in 38 appearances for Madrid so far, Mbappe is already drawing comparisons to club legends. Manager Carlo Ancelotti believes the 25-year-old has the potential to reach Cristiano Ronaldo’s level—but acknowledges it won’t be easy.
“He has the quality to reach Cristiano’s level,” Ancelotti said. “But Cristiano set the bar very high. For the quality and excitement Mbappe has, he can reach that level, but he has to work for it.”
Ronaldo remains Madrid’s all-time leading scorer with 450 goals in 438 games, a tally that will take years for Mbappe to even approach. Yet, his relentless goal-scoring ability suggests he could be the player best suited to fill that void.
Madrid will now face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or German champions Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. Mbappe made his preference clear: “Both would be difficult games, so it’s better to have a difficult game without having to travel,” he said, hinting at a Madrid derby.
Regardless of the opponent, one thing is certain—Mbappe has arrived, and this is just the beginning.
