Kylian Mbappé had an impressive debut season at Real Madrid, which has led to comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo’s inaugural campaign in a white jersey.
In 2009, Ronaldo transitioned from Manchester United to Real Madrid, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey.
The five-time Ballon d’Or recipient became the club’s all-time leading scorer, contributed to Los Blancos securing three consecutive Champions League titles, and shattered nearly every goalscoring record held by the club.
Fifteen years later, Mbappé arrived in the Spanish capital, eager to emulate the achievements of his childhood hero.
While there remains a considerable distance before the Frenchman can match the trophies and accolades that Ronaldo amassed, he has already delivered a debut season that places him among the elite alongside the Portuguese star.
Explore how Mbappé’s debut season at Real Madrid stacks up against Ronaldo’s across all competitions.
Mbappé has the edge over Ronaldo in terms of goalscoring; the Frenchman bagged 43 goals across all competitions in his Real Madrid debut season, 10 more than Ronaldo managed.
Mbappé made 21 more appearances, though, giving him plenty of additional opportunities to find the back of the net.Ronaldo, on the other hand, recorded five more assists than Mbappé.
The Portugal captain ended his first season in a white shirt with 43 goal contributions in just 35 appearances. Mbappé might have 48 goal contributions to his name, but he needed 56 appearances to do so.Both players finished their debut campaigns as leading goalscorers.
Mbappé also joined Karim Benzema as the only two players in Real Madrid history to score in six different competitions, a feat Ronaldo never accomplished in his entire career with the club.
Mbappé scored 31 goals in La Liga, surpassing Ronaldo’s 26. However, it is crucial to note that Ronaldo was sidelined for nearly two months due to an ankle injury during his inaugural season with the Spanish club.
Nevertheless, despite this extended period away from the pitch, the Portuguese striker concluded his first La Liga season with 35 goal contributions, which is one more than Mbappé’s total of 34. Even when Ronaldo was not directly scoring, he was actively assisting his teammates in finding the net.
In contrast, Mbappé managed only three assists across 34 La Liga matches.
The French player frequently focused on scoring rather than passing to Vinícius Júnior or Rodrygo, who were positioned alongside him.
It is no surprise that Ronaldo, who is the best player in the history of the Champions League, managed a more impressive European campaign in his debut season than Mbappé. Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer scored seven goals in just six Champions League appearances.
Ronaldo would have likely added to his goalscoring total, but Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 by Lyon.
The forward scored the team’s only goal across 180 minutes of soccer against the Ligue 1 side, but it was not enough to advance to the quarterfinals.
Mbappé found the back of the net the same number of times in more than double the appearances.
In fact, three of the Frenchman’s seven goals came in the second leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoffs against Manchester City.
The 26-year-old was notably kept off the scoresheet in both the round of 16 against Atlético Madrid and the quarterfinals against Arsenal.
The Gunners went on to eliminate Los Blancos 5–1 on aggregate.
Ronaldo concluded his inaugural season at Real Madrid without any silverware.
The team failed to win any trophies, and Ronaldo did not achieve any individual accolades during his campaign.In contrast, Mbappé celebrated the following victories with Real Madrid:
UEFA Super Cup
FIFA Intercontinental Cup
The French international made significant contributions by scoring in both finals, thereby ensuring that Real Madrid secured some silverware in what was otherwise a lackluster season.
Additionally, Mbappé earned the European Golden Boot and the Pichichi Trophy for his impressive tally of 31 league goals.
At the age of 26, he became only the fourth player in the club’s history to claim the Pichichi Trophy in his debut season, joining the esteemed ranks of Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez, and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Moreover, he shattered Real Madrid’s record for goals scored in a debut season, which was previously held by Iván Zamorano.
No player in the annals of Real Madrid has netted more goals than Mbappé, who scored 43 times in his first season wearing the club’s colors.
In summary, Mbappé’s remarkable debut season at Real Madrid surpasses Ronaldo’s initial campaign in a white shirt.
The onus is now on the Frenchman to assist the team in clinching major trophies in the upcoming season.