Mourinho praises Mbappe after Real Madrid hat-trick takes him past 100 goals

Jose Mourinho has praised Kylian Mbappe after the Real Madrid forward scored three times in his side’s home rout of Real Sociedad, taking his total for the Spanish club beyond 100 goals.

Mbappe reached the landmark during Real Madrid’s first home match of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, continuing his remarkable start to life with the club.

The France international joined Real Madrid as a free agent in 2024 after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired. His latest hat-trick added to his growing record in the Spanish capital and prompted Mourinho to highlight both the player’s achievements and his desire to create more history.

“I don’t like comparing players, but this guy is incredible,” said Mourinho to reporters after the match.

The Portuguese coach also referred to Mbappe’s place in World Cup history. The forward helped France win the tournament and is the leading scorer in World Cup history, a record Mourinho believes gives him a unique status among the competition’s champions.

“I’m really happy that he made history in the World Cup because there are 25 world champion players, but only one is eternal in football: the player who has the most goals in the World Cup.

“He’s made that history, but I see him with a lot of hunger to make history with Real Madrid.”

Mbappe’s three goals against Real Sociedad moved him beyond 100 goals for Real Madrid since his arrival in 2024. Mourinho, who is 63, said the forward’s influence should not be judged solely by the number of times he finds the net.

The head coach stressed that Mbappe can also help Real Madrid progress the ball and link with the team’s other attacking players, particularly Jude Bellingham.

“I always say that with these players, you have to teach them to play as a team and teach them very little from an individual perspective. And when the team struggles to build play, Kylian has tremendous quality,” added Mourinho.

Mourinho said Mbappe is not a forward who simply waits for his team-mates to create chances before finishing them. Instead, he believes the France international can drop deeper, become involved in the opening stages of an attack and then move into a position from which he can face the opposition goal.

“He’s not just a goal scorer or the typical forward waiting for the team’s offensive play to score. When he drops back to start the play, then combines with Jude [Bellingham], he’s already facing goal. He has so much quality, and so do all of them.

The performance against Real Sociedad gave Mbappe another opportunity to underline his importance to Real Madrid, both as a prolific striker and as a player capable of contributing to the construction of attacks.

Real Madrid will now prepare for their next fixture, with Malaga due to visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.