Through his first five Champions League matches this season, Mbappe has scored 9 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo's best performance at the same stage was 8 goals.

If Mbappe maintains his current scoring efficiency and Real reaches the final, playing all 15 matches this season, he could score 27 goals. This would shatter Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals in a single Champions League season, which stands at 17 goals from the 2013-2014 season.

Mbappe celebrates a goal during Real's 4-3 victory over Olympiakos in the fifth group stage match of the Champions League on 26/11. Photo: Icon Sport.

Mbappe's influence extends beyond Real. Including his achievements at Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the 26-year-old forward has 64 Champions League goals. He needs only 8 more goals to surpass Raul Gonzalez, who has 71 goals, and enter the top 5. The four players above him are: Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals), Lionel Messi (129), Robert Lewandowski (105), and Karim Benzema (90).

In Real's 4-3 win against Olympiakos on 26/11, Mbappe scored all 4 goals for the Spanish team. He became the fourth Real player to score four or more goals in a European Cup/Champions League match, following Alfredo Di Stefano (against Sevilla in 1958 and Wiener SC in 1959), Ferenc Puskas (against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960 and Feyenoord in 1965), and Ronaldo (against Malmo in 2015).

Mbappe scored his first three goals against Olympiakos between the 22nd and 29th minutes. His hat-trick, achieved in 6 minutes 42 seconds, is the second fastest in the competition's history, trailing only Mohamed Salah's hat-trick against Rangers, which took 6 minutes 12 seconds.

This season, Mbappe has scored 22 goals in 18 matches across all competitions for Real, half the tally he achieved in 59 matches last season. His importance has led to public discussions about "Mbappe dependence." Statistics reinforce this debate: since the start of the season, when Mbappe scores, Real has won 12 matches and lost only one. In the five matches where he did not score, the team's record dropped to two wins, two draws, and one loss.

Mbappe joined Real in summer 2024 on a free transfer. Previously, he became PSG's all-time leading scorer with 256 goals in 308 appearances. Mbappe has also scored 55 goals for the French national team, just two goals shy of Olivier Giroud's record.

Thanh Quy (according to AS)