How long will it take Mbappe to catch up with Ronaldo?

Mbappe has been carrying Real Madrid's attack this season.

With a goal scored in the 2-0 victory against Valencia in La Liga's 23rd round on the morning of February 9th, Kylian Mbappe increased his total goals this season to 38 in 31 matches, achieving a performance of over 1.22 goals per game.

These numbers quickly attracted attention because they evoked images of the peak period that Cristiano Ronaldo once established at Real Madrid.

Speaking after the match, coach Alvaro Arbeloa acknowledged Mbappe's growing impact on Real Madrid's playing style. "We once thought we would never see anything like Cristiano Ronaldo again, but Mbappe is following that path," Arbeloa said.

According to observers, Real Madrid currently depends on Mbappe more than any other individual since Ronaldo left the Bernabeu, even during the 2021/22 season with the emergence of Karim Benzema.

Statistically, Cristiano Ronaldo ended his Real Madrid career with 451 goals in 438 matches, a record unprecedented in the club's history. Meanwhile, Mbappe scored 82 goals in his first 90 games for the Spanish giants. At the same point, Ronaldo had 86 goals, showing that the gap between the two stars wasn't too large considering their early scoring rates.

Mbappe has idolized Ronaldo since he was a child.

If Mbappe maintains an average performance of 0.91 goals per game since his debut, he would need approximately 496 matches to surpass Ronaldo's 451 goals. At around 55 matches per season, this scenario could occur after more than 9 seasons, equivalent to the length of Ronaldo's time at Real Madrid.

If Mbappe maintains his current season's high performance (1.22 goals per game), the time needed could even be shortened to 302 matches.

However, experts emphasize that Cristiano Ronaldo's legacy at Real Madrid is not just about the number of goals he scored.

Ronaldo was a central figure in reaching their 10th Champions League title and their period of European dominance with three consecutive trophies.

Mbappe is embarking on his own journey, but to etch his name into the history of this historically rich club with 15 Champions League titles, the French striker needs more than just goalscoring numbers.

Mbappe's speed: On the morning of September 6th, Aurelien Tchouameni made a long pass to Kylian Mbappe, who sprinted forward to score, helping France win 2-0 against Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region.