Image Credit- Goal.Com.
With a late penalty in Real Madrid's 2-0 La Liga victory over Sevilla, Kylian Mbappe equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's club record of 59 goals in a calendar year. It's amusing to note that Mbappe missed a few opportunities at the start before getting his chance to glory that levelled him to his idol. One more goal and the record could have been his. But still, levelling Ronaldo's record was something that Mbappe would have surely dreamt of for a long time. And getting the same on the eve of his birthday—that too against a formidable Seville side—is a fabulous feat.
Jude Bellingham gave Real Madrid the lead in the first half, and with 22 minutes left, Marcao was sent off for a second time, reducing Sevilla to 10 men. However, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the home team ahead. Early on, Sevilla caused a lot of trouble. Isaac Romero chipped a shot that was delivered through on goal and went just wide, causing the home crowd to whistle as Real Madrid was under pressure. Before Real took the lead seven minutes before halftime, Mbappe missed a snap-shot as the home team battled to produce a clear-cut opportunity. Lucien Agoume of Sevilla then missed another goal for the visitors.
Following Marcao's red card, Rodrygo made a stunning shot on the spin, but Sevilla goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos touched it onto the bar after Mbappe's header from a corner hit the crossbar. When Juanlu Sanchez fouled Rodrygo in the box, the birthday boy stepped up to score before dragging out Ronaldo's celebration as he doubled the lead for the Galacticos, who eventually won the hard-fought game.
With 29 goals in 24 games across all competitions, Mbappe has been a crucial member of Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid team despite their struggles this season. With 18 goals this season, the striker leads the Spanish rankings once more after winning the European Golden Shoe and La Liga's top scorer award the previous season.
When Mbappe moved to Madrid in the summer of 2024 from Paris Saint-Germain, he acknowledged that he had pictures of Portuguese legend Ronaldo on the walls of his bedroom as a child and that signing with Madrid was his ambition. Interestingly, Mbappe also imitated Ronaldo's signature celebration, claiming it was a tribute to the legendary Portuguese player and Madrid's all-time top scorer.
Mbappe currently has 73 goals in 83 games, while Portuguese superstar Ronaldo, who is Real Madrid's all-time greatest goalscorer, has 450 goals in 438 games. There is still a mountain to climb for the Frenchmen. But, as they say, records are meant to be broken. So we can surely expect our prince to go for the ultimate glory.
The successor of Ronaldo has arrived.
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