Kylian Mbappe vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: Who scored 50 Real Madrid goals quicker?
Kylian Mbappe has now scored 50 goals across all competitions for Real Madrid, but how long did it take him to reach that milestone compared to Cristiano Ronaldo?
While the French forward ended his debut season in Spain without a major trophy, his individual numbers were off the charts.
The 26-year-old scored 44 goals during 2024-25, the most goals scored by any Real Madrid player in their debut season for the club.
In comparison, Ronaldo scored 33 goals throughout his first season in Madrid, although he did play considerably fewer games than Mbappe.
After ending 2024-25 in fine form, the Frenchman has picked up from where he left off with six goals in his first five games of the 2025-26 season.
This season, he’s averaged a goal every 74.5 minutes, which is comparable to Ronaldo’s most prolific years in Spain.
In total, it’s taken Mbappe 64 matches to reach the 50-goal milestone, averaging a strike every 103.8 minutes during that time.
Of his 50 goals, 10 have been scored from the penalty spot and one of them was a direct free-kick.
In comparison, Ronaldo only needed 54 games to reach the 50-goal milestone – 10 games fewer than Mbappe.
Of Ronaldo’s first 50 goals, nine of them were penalties and eight of them were direct free-kicks.
Along with reaching the 50-goal landmark in fewer matches, Ronaldo also provided more assists for his teammates when compared to Mbappe.
After scoring his 50th goal, CR7 had already accumulated 14 assists for Real Madrid, while Mbappe has only produced six assists.
Of course, it’s worth considering that both players have been used in slightly different ways. Ronaldo predominantly played on the left wing during his early years in Madrid, whereas Mbappe has transitioned into a number nine.
“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,” Ronaldo told El Chiringuito during an interview earlier this year.
“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.
“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.”
Here’s the full breakdown of how long it took both Ronaldo and Mbappe to score 50 goals for Real Madrid.
How long it took Kylian Mbappe to reach 50 goals
Games: 64
Goals: 50
Assists: 6
Goal contributions: 56
Penalties: 10 ⭐
Free-kicks: 1
Minutes per goal: 103.8
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 129.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 92.7
How long it took Cristiano Ronaldo to reach 50 goals
Games: 54 ⭐
Goals: 51 ⭐
Assists: 14 ⭐
Goal contributions: 65 ⭐
Penalties: 9
Free-kicks: 8 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 89.5 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 108.7 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 70.2 ⭐
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