Kylian Mbappe on ‘special’ moment equaling Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid debut season goal tally | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe says it is “very special” to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally in his debut Real Madrid season.

Mbappe scored twice in Real’s 3-2 comeback win against Leganes on Saturday. The Frenchman scored a first-half penalty to put Los Blancos in front at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Leganes responded brilliantly, scoring twice to head into half-time ahead.

Jude Bellingham equalised for Carlo Ancelotti’s men in the second half, before Mbappe scored his 33rd goal in all competitions to complete the comeback and secure Real the win. The 26-year-old is now only four goals away from Chilean striker Iván Zamorano’s record tally of 37 in a debut season for the Spanish giants but has levelled Ronaldo’s debut season tally.

“It’s very special,” Mbappé told Real Madrid TV. “The most important things are the ones you do with the team, but to score the same number of goals as Cristiano is always good. We know what Cristiano represents for Real Madrid and for me.

“We always talk, he gives me advice. It’s good to score goals, but as I always say, we have to win trophies here.”

22 of Mbappe’s 33 goals have come in the league, and it’s taken just 45 matches to match Ronaldo’s tally. Real are still fighting for three trophies, with La Liga, the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League all still on the table.

Los Blancos face Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals, and Mbappe is adamant his side will not stop as they search for more silverware come the end of the season.

“We’ve been working all year for this moment,” Mbappé said. “We’ll give everything to win games and all the trophies we can.

“It’s always difficult after the international break, you have one rhythm with your club, you go away with your national team and it’s something else. But we know what we always have to do: win.”