Real Madrid honour Mbappe and Guler before Champions League meeting with Inter

Real Madrid honoured Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler before their Champions League league-phase opener against Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Former Real Madrid star Luis Figo presented Mbappe with the Golden Boot after the France international finished as the competition’s leading scorer last season with 15 goals.

Mbappe’s total saw him equal the record held by Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski for the most goals scored by a player in a single Champions League season. The record remains with Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 17 times during the 2013-14 campaign.

Figo also presented Guler with the award for best young player. However, the Real Madrid midfielder was unable to take part in the match against Inter because he was suspended.

The pre-match ceremony took place before the first game of the new league phase, with Real Madrid and Inter meeting at the Spanish club’s home ground.

Real Madrid’s league-phase schedule also includes fixtures against Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Roma, Leipzig, Shakhtar, LASK and AEK Athens.

The Spanish side will face Inter at home before travelling to play Arsenal. PSV Eindhoven will then visit the Santiago Bernabeu, while Real Madrid will go away to Roma.

They will return home to meet Leipzig before an away match against Shakhtar. Their final two league-phase fixtures are against LASK at home and AEK Athens away.

Mbappe’s recognition followed a Champions League campaign in which his 15 goals placed him level with Benzema and Lewandowski in the competition’s single-season scoring standings. Only Ronaldo’s 17-goal haul for Real Madrid in 2013-14 remains above that mark.

Guler was included in the ceremony alongside Mbappe, but his suspension meant he could not contribute on the pitch in the opening fixture. His award was nevertheless presented before the match as Real Madrid began their European campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The meeting with Inter was therefore preceded by tributes to two Real Madrid players: Mbappe for his goalscoring achievement in last season’s Champions League and Guler for being named the competition’s best young player.