Xabi Alonso said Kylian Mbappé is “on his way to making history at Real Madrid” as the star forward closes in on Cristiano Ronaldo‘s club record for most goals scored in a calendar year.
Mbappé’s brace in Madrid’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Athletic Club on Wednesday made it 55 goals for the club in 2025, just four short of Ronaldo’s 59-goal record, set in 2013.
Madrid have four games left this year, starting with hosting Celta Vigo at the Bernabéu on Sunday.
Kylian Mbappé is edging close to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid goal record. Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images
“Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid, just like Cristiano did,” Alonso said in a news conference on Saturday. “With his ambition, his statistics … he’s among a chosen few.
“Working with him on a daily basis is great. His desire to influence others, his contagious energy, is something he shares with Cristiano. There, I see similarities.”
Alonso refused to say which player he’d pick — Mbappé or former teammate Ronaldo — if he had to choose.
“Cristiano is Cristiano, and Kylian is Kylian,” Alonso said. “They’re both exceptional. We’re very lucky to have Kylian, and we have to make the most of it.”
Madrid began the weekend just a point behind rivals Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table.
They go into the Celta game with no specialist right-back, after Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Dani Carvajal as a long-term absentee this week, with midfielder Fede Valverde likely to deputise.
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“We’ll have to assess what decision we take, but there are other options,” Alonso said. “Fede always puts the team first … I remember great games he’s had against Barça, Juve. He’s generous and wants to help the team.”
The victory in Bilbao relieved some pressure on Alonso, after Madrid’s three previous league games ended in draws.
“It was a good game, complete, an all-round [performance],” Alonso said. “Now we want to find consistency. We’ve have to be where we need to be in April or May.”
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