REAL MADRID
Mbappé emulates Ronaldo Nazário at the Bernabéu
The Frenchman finally got off the mark at the Santiago Bernabéu with a brace against Real Betis.
It took four games for Real Madrid’s marquee signing, Kylian Mbappé, to score his first LaLiga goal. The Frenchman netted a brace to lead Los Blancos to a 2-0 victory over Real Betis.
Since joining Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, Mbappé has been highly involved in the play, but his first goal had eluded him until this Sunday. Just before leaving to join the French national team for the FIFA international break, the former PSG star finally broke through, scoring his first goal with a sensational assist from Federico Valverde.
How many shots did Mbappé need to score with Real Madrid?
According to Opta statistics, Mbappé needed 24 shots before finally finding the back of the net in LaLiga, having gone scoreless in his previous matches against Mallorca, Valladolid, and Las Palmas. Before scoring against Betis, he had registered eight shots on target, six that were deflected, and 10 blocked by defenders. His scoring drought, however, ended on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Additionally, with his brace tonight in Madrid, Mbappé became the fourth player in the 21st century to have his first goals for Los Merengues come as a double.
Other players who debuted with a brace include Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazário, Mexico’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, and Dani Ceballos.
Unfortunately for Mbappé, his goals came just as LaLiga enters the international break. He will now travel with the French national team to face their Nations League matches against Italy on September 6 and Belgium on September 9.
Real Madrid’s squad will take a break from league action for now, and they will kick-off again on September 14, with a tricky trip to northern Spain to face Real Sociedad. Three days later, they will make their debut in the 2024/25 Champions League, with the visit of VfB Stuttgart on September 17.