Mbappe’s hat-trick and past month performance has already put him in Real Madrid history | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe might have endured a difficult start to life at Real Madrid but his past-month performance has set himself on the path to joining some of the club’s biggest legends.

He scored a stunning hat-trick in Madrid’s second-leg Champions League win over Manchester City, helping his side to a 3-1 victory and a 6-3 aggregate win.

The Frenchman has now scored 27 goals in 40 games in all competitions this season and recently went on a run of 14 goals in the 12 games for his side.

His three goals against Manchester City already cemented into Real Madrid history, joining three legends in Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema in scoring a Champions League hat-trick for Los Blancos.

“Oh, those three are legends,” Mbappe said after the game about his achievement. “The names you mention are players who have marked an era at Real Madrid. I hope I can also leave a mark here, and that’s why I am here.

“But let’s take it step by step. The first step is now; we’re in the round of 16, and we’re going to play to win every possible title this season. We know what we need to do to win.

“All the players who wear the Real Madrid jersey are leaders. For me, all the players here are the best, and it’s a pleasure to share the stadium with them.”

Mbappe could become the player to score the most goals for Real Madrid in his first season at the club. Ivan Zamorano scored 37 goals in 45 games in the 1992/93 season, nine more than Mbappe currently has. Even if he does not surpass Zamorano, he could well catch Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy’s 33 goals in each of their first seasons.

Betting on the season’s top goal scorer is an attractive market for the fans and Mbappe is certainly a strong contender, but finding the best bookmakers with the best odds, just like researching player performance statistics, often requires some dedicated effort.

The 26-year-old came in for criticism after a slow start following his summer move from PSG. He did not score in his first three league games and struggled for goals in the Champions League group stages too.

But any early concerns have quickly diminished and he is already on course to write his name into Real Madrid history.

“It’s a pleasure [to hear fans singing your name], it really is,” Mbappe added. “It doesn’t change where I want to go with the team; it doesn’t change the effort I have to make every day. But it is certainly a pleasure when the fans are happy with your work. You can see that you’re doing things right, and you have to keep going.

“It’s good to be in good form, but you have to keep playing better every game because at Real Madrid, it’s easy to play well every month, but the most important thing is to play well every season.

“People can boo; it’s not a lack of respect to boo and show that they are not happy. People were not happy with our performance, and it’s our job to change that situation. I thought that with a performance like this tonight, we could help change the situation.”