Mbappe’s 86-goal start gives Mourinho hope of a Real Madrid trophy breakthrough

Kylian Mbappe will begin his third season at Real Madrid with the club hoping he can turn his outstanding scoring record into major silverware – just as Cristiano Ronaldo did after two trophyless campaigns under Jose Mourinho.

Real Madrid are preparing for the 2026-27 season with ambitions of challenging for every major honour after appointing Portuguese coach Mourinho. Mbappe is expected to be the central figure in his plans and remains the most prominent attacking weapon in the squad.

The France international has scored prolifically since moving to the Spanish giants, but his first two seasons have not brought the major trophies Real Madrid and their supporters expected.

During that period, Mbappe won the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup with the club. However, he has yet to lift either the Spanish league title or the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid.

Ronaldo’s early years in the Spanish capital followed a similar pattern. The Portuguese forward also went without either of those major honours during his opening two seasons before his third campaign marked the beginning of a new era, according to Spanish website Defensa Central.

The comparison is strengthened by the players’ statistics. Mbappe has now scored 86 goals for Real Madrid, the same total Ronaldo had reached by the start of his third season in Madrid.

Ronaldo ended the 2009-10 campaign, his first with Real Madrid, without winning La Liga or the UEFA Champions League. The same was true in 2010-11, a season in which Mourinho took charge of the team.

The following campaign brought a major change. Mourinho guided Real Madrid to the La Liga title in 2011-12, a historic championship season known as the “record-breaking league” because of the team’s remarkable achievements.

Real Madrid officials and supporters will hope Mbappe can produce a similar response in his third season and claim his first major trophy with the club. Mourinho’s return has added to those expectations, given his role in ending Ronaldo’s wait for a league title.

The likeness between the two forwards is not limited to team honours. Mbappe has also produced exceptional individual numbers since arriving at the Bernabeu.

He won the Pichichi award as La Liga’s leading scorer in each of his first two seasons with Real Madrid. In the 2025-26 campaign, he scored 25 goals, further establishing himself among the club’s most prolific marksmen. His total of 86 goals after two seasons is also comparable with Ronaldo’s output over a similar stage of his Real Madrid career.

That record creates a significant challenge for Mbappe in the new season. His task is now to convert individual success into collective achievement after falling short in the biggest competitions during his first two campaigns.

Mourinho has made clear that he has great faith in the forward. The Real Madrid manager described Mbappe as a player of an “exceptional level” and said he did not want to dwell too heavily on what happened last season. Instead, he is focusing on what the Frenchman can deliver in the next stage of his career.

Mourinho also viewed Mbappe’s early arrival for pre-season training as a positive sign. The coach believes it demonstrated the player’s desire to prepare properly for the new campaign and work under the club’s new coaching staff.

Mbappe enters his third Real Madrid season under intense pressure, but with an impressive scoring record and the confidence of his manager. The central question is whether he can follow Ronaldo’s example by making that third campaign the starting point for a sustained period of success and major trophies at the club.