Mbappé overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo

Things are impossible… until they’re not.

Presenting Kylian Mbappé. The little boy from Bondy. The giant who aspires to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers.

Almost nothing. That’s what this challenge began with, back in 2009—the summer the world of sport fell in love. On August 16, Usain Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. It has been 5,880 days since then. And no one has beaten it. No one. Tyson Gay (2009) and Yohan Blake (2012) came close, clocking a superhuman 9.69—but that’s the closest anyone has managed.

Just 41 days earlier, on July 6, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented at the Santiago Bernabéu. And the legend of a legend began.

The number 7 set the bar in the stratosphere: 450 goals for Real Madrid in 438 matches, with four Ballon d’Ors, four Champions Leagues, and an average of 1.02 goals per game. It has been 5,922 days since that presentation to 85,000 Real Madrid fans—and no one has come close to surpassing him. Until now.

Even Kylian Mbappé. A fan. An apprentice. A reality. The man who, like Cristiano, started with the number 9. The Galáctico who, like him, began with “One, two, three… Hala Madrid!” Perhaps the football scriptwriters left clues, and the rest of us simply didn’t see them—or we didn’t believe them. But it’s happening. Kylian is moving forward where Cristiano once did—without vertigo, without fear of the shadow.

Mbappé’s profile requires nuance: he’s still improving. So far, he has scored 51 goals in 65 matches for Real Madrid—an overall average of 0.75 goals per game, lower than Cristiano Ronaldo’s. But the context is crucial. This season alone, he is scoring at an astonishing 1.17 goals per game. A slow start may have handicapped him, but his current form strengthens his trajectory.

Cristiano arrived at 24; Kylian at 25. Even here, they are similar. Kylian has his future ahead—a contract until 2029. This year, he is aiming for 76 goals. At this pace, he could surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s best single-season record of 61 goals (2014–15)—and do so decisively.

Currently, he’s on course to beat last season’s record of 44 goals, which earned him the Golden Boot. If he maintains this pace, he could finish with 63 matches’ worth of goals—confirming his capacity to consistently score over 50 goals per season. By the end of his contract, he could reach around 250 goals in five seasons—Cristiano needed nine. Of course, to fully match him, Kylian would need to extend his stay. But the trajectory is clear.

Kylian’s form shows that surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers is no longer impossible. In his first season, he already improved on Ronaldo’s start (33 goals in fewer games). In his second season, he scored 53 in 54 matches. That short-term benchmark is what Kylian now aims to surpass. Seven goals in six games this season show he’s on track. His goal is clear: a minimum of 50 goals each season—an elite threshold only a select few reach.

He is a footballer with a high gaze but a low profile: discreet, silent. “Leader? I am, simply, Kylian,” he said at the Santiago Bernabéu after a victory against Marseille. He scores, dribbles, and commands the pitch—but also recognizes that this team is already his. Mbappé’s Real Madrid.

Even in leadership, he is “Christianized”: he takes responsibility in decisive moments, owns the penalties and crucial plays, and carries the weight of expectation. A silent leader in the locker room, commanding respect without loud declarations. Outside the club, he’s a role model, and his shirt continues to generate unprecedented sales—levels unseen since Cristiano Ronaldo himself.

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The idol he once looked up to—the man he photographed with at 13, invited by Zidane to Valdebebas—is now the standard he seeks to surpass. Thirteen years later, Kylian is the Galáctico who picks up the baton: ambitious, determined, and proving that things are only impossible… until they are not.

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