Mbappe’s 100-goal Real Madrid chase enters decisive phase

Kylian Mbappe has until 2 November to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for reaching 100 goals with Real Madrid, with the French forward currently 11 goals short of the landmark after the same number of appearances as his predecessor.

Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for the club on 2 November 2011, in a match in Lyon, during his third season at Real Madrid under manager Jose Mourinho. The Portugal forward needed 105 matches to reach the mark, a record for the quickest century that he still shares with Erling Haaland.

Mbappe has also played 105 matches for Real Madrid, but his challenge is different. He is attempting to beat Ronaldo’s record in terms of elapsed time rather than appearances, and has just over two months to become the fastest player in the club’s history to score 100 goals.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Mbappe made an exceptional start to his scoring career in the Spanish capital. He scored 44 goals in his first season with Real Madrid, including 31 in La Liga, numbers that earned him the European Golden Shoe.

His individual success, however, did not translate into a successful campaign for the team. Real Madrid endured a disappointing season, exiting the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals and losing both the league title and the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona.

Mbappe’s figures were particularly notable when compared with Ronaldo’s 33 goals in his first season at the club, achieved in similarly difficult circumstances.

The start of Mbappe’s second chapter with Real Madrid was far less smooth. After Xabi Alonso took charge, the striker was sidelined for several weeks by acute gastroenteritis. The illness caused him to lose weight and delayed his fitness during the FIFA Club World Cup.

Once he returned to competitive action, Mbappe quickly rediscovered his best form. He scored in eight consecutive rounds and equalled Ronaldo’s Real Madrid record for the most goals scored in a calendar year, reaching 59.

Results dipped during the spring, when Real Madrid suffered a drop in form at the same time as Mbappe dealt with knee problems that had affected him since January. Those issues contributed to another difficult spell for the side under Alvaro Arbeloa.

Despite those setbacks, Mbappe still produced an outstanding scoring season, finishing with 42 goals across four competitions. He did so without winning a major team trophy and without retaining the European Golden Shoe, although he claimed the Pichichi award as La Liga’s leading scorer for the second successive season.

His total for Real Madrid rose to 89 goals in 105 matches after he scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad in the second round of the league.

That achievement makes the comparison with Ronaldo unavoidable. The Portuguese reached 100 goals in exactly the same number of appearances, leaving Mbappe level with him on matches played but 11 goals behind the record.

The fixture list gives Mbappe a realistic, although demanding, opportunity. Before 2 November, he is scheduled to play nine La Liga matches and three UEFA Champions League group-stage games, providing 12 chances to score the 11 goals required to reach a century in record time.

It would be a formidable target, but not an impossible one for a forward with Mbappe’s scoring record. He passed the 50-goal mark only a year ago, on 16 September 2025, when he scored twice against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League.

His progress from 50 to within sight of 100 goals in just 12 months underlines the scale of his goalscoring threat. The question now is whether 2 November will mark the end of the raceor the day Mbappe establishes a new Real Madrid record of his own.