Champions League

Kylian Mbappé equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s record and says sorry

Mbappé scored twice in the first half against former club Monaco, taking his Champions League tally to 11 goals this season.

Mbappé scores twice in the first half against former club Monaco, taking his Champions League tally to 11 goals this season.
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU
Roddy Cons
Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.
Update:

Kylian Mbappé continued his superb goalscoring form in the first half of Real Madrid’s Champions League game against former club Monaco, scoring his 31st and 32nd goals of the season as Madrid went in two goals ahead at halftime. Los Blancos ultimately thrashed the Ligue 1 side 6-1, a result which takes them to the brink of qualification for the round of 16.

The French superstar put Madrid ahead after just four minutes with an angled strike from inside the box before adding a second from close range on the 25-minute mark following an assist from Vinicius.

Mbappé matches Ronaldo in the UCL

Those two goals took Mbappé to 11 in the Champions League this season, matching the record for the most goals scored in six games in the opening stage of the competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo previously netted 11 times in six group stage games in 2015-16, a season in which his 16 goals overall helped Real Madrid lift the trophy.

That is still not the all-time record for goals in a single Champions League campaign, which also belongs to Ronaldo. The Portuguese attacker scored 17 goals in 2013-14, when Los Blancos were again crowned European champions.

Why Mbappé apologized for scoring against Monaco

Although Mbappé was clearly delighted to score for his team and draw level with Ronaldo’s tally, he also spared a thought for Monaco, the club where he began his professional career as a teenager.

After opening the scoring, Mbappé made a gesture toward the Monaco fans in attendance, appearing to ask for forgiveness and showing he still holds plenty of affection for the principality side.

Between December 2015 and May 2017, Mbappé scored 27 goals in 60 appearances for Monaco, helping them win the Ligue 1 title in 2016-17 ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, who he joined the following summer.

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