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Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has provided his verdict after he matched Cristiano Ronaldo's first-season record following their 3-2 win over Leganes. Mbappe netted a brilliant brace in their LaLiga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, March 29.
Kylian Mbappe scored a Panenka-style penalty in the 32nd minute to break the deadlock for Los Blancos. However, Leganes grabbed the lead going into half-time via goals from Diego Garcia and Daniel Raba. While Jude Bellingham leveled the scores following the break, Mbappe heroically scored from a free-kick (76') to seal all three points for his side.
In doing so, the Frenchman reached an impressive tally of 33 goals from 44 appearances across all competitions in his debut season for Real Madrid. This matched Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring 33 goals in 35 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos from the 2009-10 season.
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Following the game, Mbappe told Real Madrid TV (via NDTV Sports):
"It's very special... to have the same number of goals as Cristiano is always good. We know what he means for Real Madrid and me, we speak, he gives me a lot of advice, he scored many goals -- but we have to win trophies here."
Mbappe has already secured the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup for Los Blancos this season, which is already more than what Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. mustered during the 2009-10 campaign.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare during his time at Real Madrid?
Kylian Mbappe was able to match one of Cristiano Ronaldo's records at Real Madrid following their win over Leganes. However, the Frenchman will need to do a lot more over the next few years to fill the 40-year-old's shoes. Let's take a quick look at what Ronaldo achieved at the Santiago Bernabeu during his time at the club between 2009 and 2018.
Cristiano Ronaldo established himself as Los Blancos' all-time top goalscorer, accumulating 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 appearances across all competitions. His efforts helped the club win 15 trophies, including two LaLiga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
The Portugal icon also flourished individually, winning four Ballons d'Or during his time at Real Madrid (2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017). However, he made the surprising decision of joining Juventus in the summer of 2018 for a reported transfer fee of €100 million at the age of 33.
