French-Cameroonian Kylian Mbappe one game away from Ronaldo’s Real Madrid calendar-year record

Kylian Mbappe moved within touching distance of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid calendar-year scoring record after scoring twice to leave himself one goal short with a single match remaining in 2025.

The forward now has one final opportunity, against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, to surpass the 59-goal mark set by Ronaldo in 2013 and etch his name into the club’s modern history.

The French striker, whose father is from Cameroon, was the hero as Real Madrid edged past third-tier Talavera de la Reina 3-2 on Wednesday to reach the Copa del Rey last 16.

Mbappe arrived at the tie with 56 goals across all competitions in 2025 and wasted little time asserting himself in a hostile atmosphere in Castilla-La Mancha.

Madrid controlled possession early on, but Talavera goalkeeper Jaime Gonzalez produced a string of saves to keep the hosts alive.

With no VAR in operation at this stage of the competition, controversy followed when a handball was awarded against Marcos Moreno, allowing Mbappe to convert from the spot in the 41st minute.

Before the interval, Mbappe struck again, his close-range effort deflecting off defender Manuel Farrando and into the net to give Madrid a 2-0 lead at the break.

Despite further chances after halftime, including a clear one-on-one that Mbappe failed to take, Madrid were punished when Nahuel Arroyo pulled one back following a swift counter-attack.

Talavera’s hopes of a shock were checked when Gonzalez fumbled Mbappe’s long-range effort in the 83rd minute, restoring Madrid’s two-goal cushion.

Gonzalo Di Renzo reduced the deficit again deep into stoppage time, but Andriy Lunin preserved the win with a late save.