Just a year ago, Kylian Mbappé was experiencing one of his most difficult moments since joining Real Madrid. Two missed penalties on major stages, first at Anfield and then at San Mamés, raised alarms about his adaptation to the club. That insecure and overwhelmed version of the Frenchman is long gone. Today, the forward is delivering an extraordinary 2025 campaign that places him on the verge of breaking what once seemed untouchable: Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-scoring records in a calendar year.

Mbappé publicly admitted that his mistake in Bilbao was a turning point. “I hit rock bottom and realized I had to give my absolute best for this shirt,” he confessed days after the error. The response was immediate: from 10 goals at this stage last season, he has jumped to 25 this year. With the No. 10 on his back and the full support of Xabi Alonso, the Frenchman has embraced the attacking leadership Madridistas had long been waiting for.

His transformation is reflected not only in confidence but in numbers. In 2025, Mbappé already has 55 goals in 55 matches. And the most striking part: he still has five games left to reach or surpass the 59 goals Cristiano scored in 2013, the highest tally ever recorded by a Real Madrid player in a single calendar year.

A historic record that could fall within days

The numbers speak for themselves. Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time top scorer, netted 59 goals in 2013, 58 in 2012, and 56 in 2014. Mbappé has already matched the third of those totals and now poses a serious threat to the remaining two. He needs three goals to tie the absolute record and four to break it. His current average of 1.66 goals per game makes that target more than achievable.

What sets this version of Mbappé apart is not only the volume of goals but his consistency. He has surpassed nearly all of Cristiano’s intermediate tallies: he has already beaten the numbers from 2010, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and matched those from 2011. He is also producing the highest-scoring calendar year of his career: 62 goals in 62 matches for club and country combined.

His most recent display, a brace at San Mamés —the very stadium where he once hit rock bottom— confirms he is the most decisive player in European football right now. Between Celta Vigo, Manchester City, Alavés, Sevilla, and an additional Copa del Rey match, the Frenchman will have five opportunities to place his name where only Cristiano’s once stood.

The end of 2025 may deliver a symbolic image: Mbappé equaling or surpassing the idol he dreamed of as a child, the one he once posed with at Valdebebas years before wearing white. And if he keeps this pace, it won’t be a surprise. It will be the logical consequence of a footballer in full flight, rewriting Real Madrid’s scoring history.