Kylian Mbappe reacts to surpassing Ronaldo's Real Madrid goal milestone | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappe has reacted humbly to surpassing Ronaldo's goal tally from the Brazilian icon's debut season at Real Madrid back in 2002/03.

Ronaldo was the best player on the planet at the time of his arrival from Inter, having just completed the mother of all career comebacks by steering Brazil to World Cup glory.

R9, or Ronaldo Nazario as he is now often referred to differentiate from Cristiano Ronaldo, scored 30 times straight off the bat in Madrid colours. That total included a famous Champions League hat-trick against Manchester United that earned him a standing ovation at Old Trafford.

Mbappe's brace in Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Villarreal in La Liga took the Frenchman onto 31 goals for the campaign, moving level with and then breaking Ronaldo's tally.

Only three other players in Madrid's storied history have ever scored more goals than Mbappe in a debut season. Cristiano Ronaldo (2009/10) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (2006/07) each racked up 33, while Ivan Zamorano went all the way to 37 back in 1992/93.

Ronaldo scored 30 times in his debut 2002/03 season / PAUL BARKER/GettyImages

The likes of all-time legends Alfredo Di Stefano (27) and Ferenc Puskas (25) netted fewer.

"They are legends who have defined an era, but in the end it's all about numbers. If I score many more goals than Ronaldo and Cristiano, it doesn't mean I'm better," Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

"The most important thing is to help and win titles. Scoring goals is important, but it's only worth it if we win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League."

Mbappe needs six more goals to equal Zamorano's club record and seven to break it. His 31 goals so far have come in 44 appearances, with up to 24 more games still to play for Madrid across La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. Even as a minimum, there are 16 games left in the season, in which he could very feasibly score at least another seven goals.

"I feel very good, my 2025 has been very good with the team, and on a personal level. I want to help the team win and I hope to do more when we return from the [international] break," he said.