Kylian Mbappé (28, Real Madrid) has finally reached Cristiano Ronaldo (40, Al Nassr)'s record. The milestone that only one player wearing the Real Madrid jersey had reached in a single year is now one goal away.
Real Madrid beat third-division Talavera 3-2 in the round of 32 of the 2025-2026 Copa del Rey at Estadio El Prado in the La Mancha region of Spain on the 18th (Korean time) and advanced to the round of 16. The score was close, but Mbappé finished it.
Mbappé played the full match and was involved in all three of Real's goals, scoring a brace and forcing an own goal. In the 41st minute of the first half, he calmly converted a penalty awarded for an opponent's handball, and in first-half stoppage time he drove down the left end line and cut the ball back, forcing an opponent into an own goal. When Talavera staged a late comeback, he sealed the result with a right-footed long-range shot from the penalty arc in the 43rd minute of the second half.
With this, Mbappé's official goal tally for Real Madrid in 2025 reached 58. He is just one goal short of the club single-year record of 59 set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013. The number that no one could touch for 12 years is now within sight.
The symbolism is greater. Mbappé has consistently mentioned Ronaldo as his role model. As he described him, "the greatest player in Real Madrid history," Mbappé is now personally chasing that legendary record. Only one opportunity remains. The Sevilla match on the 21st is Real's last official match of 2025. A goal in that game would tie the record; a multi-goal performance would set a new record.
An interesting point is coach Xabi Alonso's choice. Real rested most of their starters except Mbappé that day. Even amid rotation, Mbappé was kept on. Alonso said, "We needed finishing. So I kept him until the end." The result was proven in the record.
However, the team's situation is not easy. Real sit second in the league, four points behind Barcelona, and amid inconsistent performance, rumors of Alonso's dismissal have surfaced. Even the Talavera match would have been difficult to predict without Mbappé's individual quality.
Still, the season belongs to one player. Even amid Real's crisis, Mbappé is answering with goals. Now only one question remains. Will he surpass Ronaldo's 59, or will he carve his name alongside it? The Sevilla match will provide the answer.
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