Mbappe goals mask a wider Real Madrid question: was Harry Kane the better fit?

Real Madrid’s decision to sign Kylian Mbappe rather than Harry Kane after Karim Benzema’s departure has raised questions about whether the club chose the right type of striker, despite the France international’s outstanding scoring record.

Mbappe scored 42 goals in each of his first two seasons with Real Madrid, producing 84 goals in total. However, the team’s overall attacking output has not increased in line with his individual numbers.

Before Mbappe arrived, Real Madrid scored 127 goals in 2022-23 and 129 in 2023-24 – 256 goals in 116 matches. In Mbappe’s first two seasons, they scored 148 in 2024-25 and 119 in 2025-26, totalling 267 goals in 124 matches.

That represents 11 more goals but eight additional games, with the average falling from about 2.21 goals per match to 2.15.

The figures are similar in La Liga. Real Madrid scored 75 goals in 2022-23 and 87 in 2023-24, compared with 78 in 2024-25 and 77 in 2025-26. Their total therefore fell from 162 goals in the two seasons before Mbappe to 155 in his first two campaigns.

Those numbers do not prove Mbappe alone caused a decline, with injuries, departures and tactical changes also contributing. But Vinicius Junior’s league goals fell from 15 in 2023-24 to 11 the following season, while Jude Bellingham’s total dropped from 19 to nine. The overlap between Mbappe and Vinicius, together with Bellingham playing a less advanced role, became a significant challenge.

Kane offered a different attacking profile

Benzema had been more than a goalscorer. He dropped into midfield, linked the lines, created space for Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and contributed to the build-up as well as finishing attacks.

Harry Kane, who was strongly linked with Real Madrid after Benzema left in the summer of 2023, could have performed many of those functions. BBC reported on 5 June 2023 that the England captain was Real Madrid’s leading target, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wanted more than £100m. Kane instead moved to Bayern Munich for an initial €100m, plus additional incentives.

Kane can lead the line without remaining in the penalty area. His passing, movement and ability to draw defenders out could have created more room for Bellingham, as shown by their work together for England. He also has the ability to combine with wide players in a way that may have suited Vinicius.

He would have offered a stronger aerial threat, too. Karim Benzema and Joselu provided that option, with Joselu scoring 18 goals in 49 matches in 2023-24, including five in the Champions League. Mbappe’s relative weakness in the air has encouraged greater reliance on runs behind defences and passes into space rather than regular crosses towards a dominant central striker.

Kane’s record suggests he was not an inferior goalscoring option. He scored 44 goals and provided 12 assists in 45 matches in his first Bayern season, followed by 42 goals and 14 assists the next campaign. In 2025-26, he continued at an exceptional level and won the 2026 Ballon d’Or, ahead of Mbappe in second place.

Individual quality versus collective balance

Luis Enrique’s experience with Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain also highlights the issue. In a documentary, the manager criticised the forward’s defensive contribution and said a true leader must help the team defensively when unable to influence a match in attack. He urged Mbappe to set an example through pressing, movement and sacrifice.

Luis Enrique later said he would rather have four players scoring 12 goals each than rely on one player scoring 40. Paris Saint-Germain subsequently diversified their sources of goals and won the Champions League for the first time in 2024-25, although Mbappe’s departure was not the only reason for that success.

Mbappe’s signing cannot be called an individual failure. Yet Real Madrid may have misjudged the profile they needed. Rather than another player capable of starting from the left and scoring, they may have required someone to replicate Benzema’s link play, connect with Vinicius, free Bellingham and contribute without becoming the sole attacking focal point.

Kane might have restored that balance. The question is therefore not whether Mbappe is one of the world’s best forwards, but whether Real Madrid needed his individual brilliance more than they needed Kane’s all-round contribution.