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As the season pauses briefly, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé edges closer to one of the club’s most iconic scoring feats.
The French forward sits just three goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals in a calendar year, a mark Ronaldo set in 2013.
Calendar-year records may not bring silverware, but they carry weight in football history.
As fixtures slow down, players reflect on league titles, Champions League triumphs, Golden Boots and the personal milestones that define careers—while those near historic marks find fresh motivation to push on before year’s end.
Two chances to match Ronaldo
Mbappé has made this target a clear focus. With 56 goals in 2025, he has two remaining opportunities to draw level with Ronaldo: Wednesday’s Copa del Rey trip to Talavera and Sunday’s La Liga clash with Sevilla at the Bernabéu. A hat-trick in either match would see him match his idol.
His recent strike against Alavés at Mendizorroza moved the record firmly into view. To boost his chances, he would need minutes in Talavera, where he came off the bench for 27 minutes at the same stage last season against Deportiva Minera.
If that door stays closed, the Sevilla match could prove decisive. Expecting Mbappé to explode in front of the goal is hardly far-fetched. In 2025 alone, he has already hit four hat-tricks—against Valladolid, Manchester City, Barcelona and Kairat Almaty—and scored four in a single match against Olympiacos. Sevilla also know his threat, having conceded to him in both meetings last season.
A late surge that defined 2025
Matching or surpassing Ronaldo would crown a remarkable year. Mbappé finished last season in blistering form, scoring nine goals across the final five La Liga matchdays, including a hat-trick in El Clásico at Montjuïc. That run earned him the Pichichi and the European Golden Boot, ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Viktor Gyökeres.
The milestone would also underline the impact of his first full calendar year at Real Madrid.
Driving Madrid’s attack
Mbappé has carried that momentum into the second half of 2025. He has played a direct role in nearly two-thirds of Madrid’s goals this season, registering 26 goals and four assists from the team’s 47 strikes. In current form, he could finish the campaign on 66 goals, eclipsing Ronaldo’s 61 from the 2014–15 season.
France’s form matches club brilliance
His club output mirrors his displays for France. Mbappé has scored seven times in his last six international appearances and, during 2025, became Les Bleus’ second-highest scorer of all time. With 55 global goals, he now sits just two behind Olivier Giroud.
While that tally will not change before the year ends, his Real Madrid pursuit remains alive. With Talavera and Sevilla still to come, history beckons—one hat-trick now separates Kylian Mbappé from Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary benchmark.
