Comparing Kylian Mbappe’s Real Madrid record with Cristiano Ronaldo’s after 70 matches
Kylian Mbappe is continuing to emulate his idol Cristiano Ronaldo by marking almost every appearance with at least one goal, but how do his numbers stack up against his boyhood hero’s after the same number of games?
The France international marked his 70th appearance in all competitions for Real Madrid with a late match-winner in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Getafe. But is he as prolific in terms of goals and assists as Ronaldo at the same milestone?
“My turn to watch [eyes emoji]. Excited to see you light up the Bernabeu,” Ronaldo commented when Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid was finally announced last summer – what became the most-liked comment in Instagram’s history.
Like Ronaldo’s debut 2009-10 campaign in the Spanish capital, Mbappe’s first season with Real Madrid was disappointingly lacking in silverware.
But while Ronaldo missed a lot of action through injuries and suspensions, not making his 70th appearance for the club until the February of his second season, Mbappe has been a near ever-present – with an especially stacked calendar featuring an expanded Champions League and additional Club World Cup.
Ronaldo marked his 70th Los Blancos appearances with a trademark brace in a 4-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad in February 2011, ending an uncharacteristic four-match barron run without a goal or an assist.
“Look after the lad,” was Ronaldo’s message to Real Madrid fans, as told to Spanish TV programme El Chiringuito in an interview broadcast earlier this year.
“The fans need to look after him. He’s very good. The club have to help to protect him, I have no doubt he’ll bring a lot of joy to Madrid fans.
“I love [Mbappe], not just because of his story as a kid, how he loved Cristiano, I was his idol. I think he’s a top player.”
At the time Ronaldo’s interview was broadcast back in February, Mbappe was coming under criticism at Real Madrid.
His goalscoring return was solid but not spectacular, but Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos were struggling for results, particularly in the biggest games.
Unlike the year before his arrival, when Madrid won a La Liga and Champions League double, their tactical approach seemed muddled. It appeared as though Ancelotti was unsure how to get Madrid’s latest Galactico in a balanced set-up.
“It’s complicated, because he doesn’t know how to play as a forward in my opinion – or rather, it’s not that he doesn’t know, but it isn’t his position,” Ronaldo continued.
“If I was at Madrid, I’d show him how to play as a number nine.
“I wasn’t a forward. I got used to it, but I was a winger. People forget that. I was a forward, but not a typical forward. I think [Mbappe] shouldn’t be a typical forward, he should do things his way.”
It was actually around that time that Mbappe’s goalscoring numbers went stratospheric. While Madrid ended up trophyless in his debut season, Mbappe claimed the first European Golden Shoe after notching Ronaldo-esque output in the second half of the season.
The World Cup winner has seemingly taken his game up another level under Xabi Alonso this season, and has now matched Ronaldo’s best-ever goalscoring streak in all competitions.
But how do the two players stack up against one another at the same stage of their Real Madrid careers?
Here’s the full breakdown of how Mbappe’s stats compare with Ronaldo’s after 70 matches at Real Madrid.
Mbappe stats after 70 matches
Games: 70
Goals: 59
Assists: 7
Goals + assists: 66
Penalties: 12 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 96.7
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 121.4
Minutes per goal or assist: 86.4
Ronaldo stats after 70 matches
Games: 70
Goals: 67 ⭐
Assists: 17 ⭐
Goals + assists: 84 ⭐
Penalties: 10
Minutes per goal: 89.3 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 105.0 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 71.2 ⭐
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