Just one year ago, Kylian Mbappé was navigating one of the toughest patches of his Real Madrid career. Two missed penalties on high-profile stages — first at Anfield, then at San Mamés — had prompted questions about his adaptation and temperament. That uncertain, overwhelmed version of the forward is gone. In his place stands a player in the form of his life, producing an extraordinary 2025 campaign that now has him closing in on what once seemed untouchable: Cristiano Ronaldo’s calendar-year goals record for Real Madrid.
Mbappé has been candid about the turning point. “I hit rock bottom and realized I had to give my absolute best for this shirt,” he said after the Bilbao setback. The response has been emphatic. Where he had 10 goals at a comparable stage last season, he has surged to 25 this year for the club. Wearing the No. 10, backed by the faith of manager Xabi Alonso and the team around him, Mbappé has assumed the attacking leadership Madridistas long expected.
Numbers that matter
Across the 2025 calendar year, Mbappé has scored 55 goals in 55 appearances — a run of productivity few players in Europe can match. Cristiano Ronaldo’s benchmark of 59 goals in 2013 sits tantalisingly close: three goals would tie the absolute club record, four would see Mbappé overtake it. With five matches remaining on Real Madrid’s immediate schedule — fixtures against Celta Vigo, Manchester City, Alavés, Sevilla and an additional Copa del Rey tie — the statistical window is narrow but real.
Mbappé’s current scoring average (well above a goal per game in the calendar year) makes the target achievable on paper; the practical challenge will be minutes, opposition plans and fixture congestion. Still, the combination of form and frequency of opportunities has pushed this chase from speculation to headline reality.
What’s different about this Mbappé
This incarnation of Mbappé is not merely prolific; it is consistent and multifaceted. He has sharpened his positional intelligence, improved timing of runs behind defences and increased his involvement in build-up phases. Those qualities have made him both a pure finisher inside the box and a creator in transitional moments — a dual threat that forces opponents to rethink their defensive schemes.
Statistically, he has already eclipsed many of Cristiano’s intermediate seasonal tallies — matching or exceeding figures from multiple benchmark years — and is producing the highest scoring calendar year of his career when combining club and country output. That consistency under pressure is the clearest signal that this pursuit is not a fluke.
Tactical considerations
A player chasing records inevitably alters dynamics. Managers must balance the temptation to prioritise a hot striker with the need to sustain team balance and avoid predictability. For Xabi Alonso, the task is twofold: keep Mbappé sharp and available while ensuring Real Madrid remain multifaceted in attack so opponents cannot simply isolate and neutralise their main outlet.
Opponents will adapt — double-marking, tighter defensive blocks and specific tactical plans will follow when Mbappé features. How effectively Madrid creates alternative goal sources when he is targeted will be decisive for both the record chase and collective results.
The narrative and its limits
Comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo are inevitable and compelling, but context matters. Differences in era, role, opposition and fixture lists mean raw numbers tell only part of the story. Nonetheless, breaking a record set by one of the club’s greatest ever players would be a defining personal and historical moment for Mbappé.
What to watch next
- Minutes management: will Alonso prioritise Mbappé’s game time to maximise scoring chances?
- Opponent tactics: which teams will deploy bespoke plans to stop him, and how will Madrid react?
- Supporting cast: can teammates sustain creative returns if rival teams focus on neutralising Mbappé?
The record is close but not guaranteed. Mbappé’s blend of form, fitness and favourable fixtures has produced a genuine opportunity to etch his name alongside — and potentially above — Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s modern record books. For now, every match carries added significance: history remains in play, and Madridistas will be watching every touch.
RMxtra will provide match-by-match updates, statistical breakdowns and tactical analysis as the chase progresses.