Comparing Kylian Mbappe’s pre-Real Madrid career to Cristiano Ronaldo’s
The worst-kept secret in football is finally out as Kylian Mbappe’s move to the Santiago Bernabeu has now been confirmed, but how does his pre-Real Madrid career compare to Cristiano Ronaldo’s?
Regarded by many as the best player in the world, Mbappe is capable of taking Carlo Ancelotti’s side to another level and considering they’ve just won the league and Champions League, that’s a scary thought.
The French forward has spent his entire professional career in Ligue 1 up until this point, having played for Monaco and PSG.
His scoring record in France has been off the charts as he’s managed to win six consecutive Golden Boot awards since joining PSG on a permanent basis in 2018–19.
“Nobody can understand how excited I am right now,” Mbappe said on social media upon announcing the move to Real Madrid.
It’s no secret that Mbappe idolises Ronaldo and he’ll be looking to follow in his footsteps as he embarks on the next chapter of his career.
Ronaldo himself commented on Mbappe’s latest Instagram post and said: “My turn to watch. Excited to see you light up the Bernabeu.”
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A number of similarities can be drawn between Ronaldo and Mbappe when they both made the move to Real Madrid.
CR7 was only one year younger than Mbappe when he made the switch to La Liga in 2009 and the rest is history. He scored a record 450 goals for the club and won 15 trophies during his nine-year stint in Spain.
Mbappe still has a long way to go in order to match Ronaldo’s legacy in the game, but at the same stage of their careers, the Frenchman does have more goals and assists to his name.
“Every time I go on a pitch I always tell myself that I’m the best and yet I have played on grounds where there was Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Mbappe told RMC Sport in 2021.
“They are better players than me, they have done a billion more things than me. But, in my head, I always tell myself that I’m the best because that way you don’t give yourself limits and you try to give your best.”
We’ve taken a closer look at Ronaldo’s pre-Madrid record and have compared it to Mbappe’s to see how they stack up against one another.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s pre-Madrid record
Games: 388
Goals: 145
Assists: 68
Penalties scored: 19
Free-kicks scored: 14
Minutes per goal: 197.1
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 226.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 134.2
Trophies won: Supertaca Candido de Oliveira (x1), Premier League (x3), FA Cup (x1), League Cup (x2), Community Shield (x1), Champions League (x1), FIFA Club World Cup (x1)
Kylian Mbappe’s pre-Madrid record
Games: 473
Goals: 334
Assists: 157
Penalties scored: 41
Free-kicks scored: 0
Minutes per goal: 102.4
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 116.7
Minutes per goal or assist: 69.7
Trophies won: Ligue 1 (x7), Coupe de France (x4), Coupe de la Ligue (2), Trophee des Champions (x3), World Cup (x1), UEFA Nations League (x1)