Mbappe Hits 100 Real Madrid Games: How Does He Stack Up Against Ronaldo and Club Legends?

As Real Madrid gear up to face Real Betis at La Cartuja on Friday evening, Kylian Mbappé is approaching a landmark moment: his 100th appearance for Los Blancos.

The French star's opening two years have not been as triumphant as he—or many supporters—might have envisioned. Madrid have yet to lift a major trophy with Mbappé in their ranks, yet there is no denying that he is an exceptional finisher.

With 24 goals in 27 La Liga appearances in 2025–26 so far, Mbappé is on track for back-to-back Pichichi Trophy victories—a feat last accomplished by Lionel Messi in 2021 and not by a Madrid player since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2015.

What makes the looming achievement even more remarkable is that Mbappé would claim consecutive top scorer honors in his first two La Liga campaigns—something neither Ronaldo nor goalscoring legends Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás and Hugo Sánchez ever managed. The last player to do so was Valencia's Mario Kempes back in 1978.

A Goalscoring Phenomenon

Mbappé has actually sharpened his scoring rate since arriving at Madrid, netting 16 more goals in his near-century of appearances for Real Madrid than he did during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

Measured against modern Madrid greats, Mbappé's tally already more than doubles that of compatriot and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema (41). Unless he bags ten against Betis, he will still fall well short of Ronaldo, though, who managed an almost unthinkable 95 in his first 100 outings.

Mbappé could yet become the highest scorer in a single Real Madrid season among players not named Cristiano Ronaldo, should he finish the campaign with 48 or more goals across all competitions—seven still needed, with six matches remaining.

Madrid Legends Goal Record in First Two Seasons Compared

Mbappé is also poised to become the player with the most goals across his first two full seasons at Madrid, needing just two more to surpass Ronaldo. However, he has featured considerably more often than the Portuguese icon did, and currently ranks fourth in terms of goals-per-game ratio.

Real Madrid's All-Time Leading Scorers After Two Seasons

*as it stands with games still to play in the second season.

Can Real Madrid Find a Way to Win With Mbappé?

Appearing on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Mbappé's former France teammate Paul Pogba declared that "winning the Ballon d'Or is only a matter of time." Yet this year, it appears unlikely Mbappé will claim the prestigious award given Madrid's underwhelming campaign.

While his ability to find the net remains beyond question, the real challenge for Madrid is figuring out how to build the team's play around Mbappé.

Both the French forward and Vinicius Junior were jeered during Tuesday's victory over Alavés, with supporters venting their frustration at the star pair as a trophy-free season looms.

Didier Deschamps, who guided Mbappé's France to World Cup glory in 2018 and the 2022 final, has been touted as a potential successor in the Bernabéu dugout next season and is widely regarded as someone who knows how to construct a team around a marquee player.

Mbappé himself was spotted liking an Instagram post putting forward José Mourinho as the ideal coach to unlock the striker's full and devastating potential.

When asked about Mbappé's social media activity ahead of the Betis fixture and his 100th appearance, interim manager Álvaro Arbeloa told the press: "These are things I don't even think about. It doesn't bother me if he likes a post about Mourinho, Julia Roberts or anyone else. It means nothing."