Kylian Mbappé has given Real Madrid a glimmer of hope in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. His golden goal could prove decisive as they head to Munich for the second leg, still very much alive in the tie.
It was also his 14th goal of the 2025/26 Champions League campaign – matching the single-season high Lionel Messi set in his career and leaving Mbappé just three goals shy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record.
Most goals in a single Champions League season
- 17 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2013/14)
- 16 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2015/16)
- 15 – Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, 2019/20)
- 15 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2017/18)
- 15 – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, 2021/22)
- 14 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 2011/12)
- 14 – Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid, 2025/26)
Ronaldo reached 14 or more goals in three different seasons, but his personal best remains those 17 in 2013/14. That means Mbappé is now just three away from matching the record – though it gets a lot harder if Real Madrid can’t overturn Bayern Munich in the return leg.
In the second leg in Munich, Mbappé would need a hat-trick just to equal Ronaldo’s mark. That already looks like a tall order against a Manuel Neuer who was in vintage form at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Even if Real Madrid are eliminated, this season will still go down as historic for Mbappé. But going out without the title – and without the record – would feel like a failure for the French superstar.
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