As 2025 draws to a close, Kylian Mbappé has delivered an almost impeccable report card. He scored 59 goals in the calendar year, topping the world football scoring charts and matching the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo in the same period. Real Madrid secured Mbappé at a nearly perfect time, and he has already demonstrated world-class leadership value within the team; the club’s key task next is to build a team configuration close to the standard of the "Ronaldo Era" for him.
Records
For the first time in his career, Mbappé has significantly surpassed the "one goal per game" threshold in a single calendar year, finishing with 59 goals and claiming the top spot in the world football’s annual scoring list. He has fulfilled his part, and the remaining task falls to the team level. Today, no one doubts that he is a strategic signing and has become a leader in the dressing room. Both on and off the pitch, his performance is impeccable and even serves as a role model.
He did not insist on returning to his accustomed left-wing area—the former "hunting ground"—but instead accepted the responsibility as a center forward, completed the positional transformation with a strong sense of responsibility, and ultimately grew into one of the best players in the world in this position. The only question worth asking is: could this "god-given opportunity" have come to Real Madrid earlier?
Delay
As early as 2017, Mbappé had made up his mind to join Real Madrid, but he requested the club to "remove one letter" from the BBC trio to make room for him. He was eager to achieve success as soon as possible. However, Real Madrid did not take this step at that time—a decision that may seem wrong now, but was not entirely illogical in the context of that year.
At that time, the team had just won two consecutive Champions Leagues, and the "trinity" BBC trio was at their peak; Karim Benzema’s peak phase in his career was still ahead; and Gareth Bale, who was regarded as the "relatively weak link" in that attacking chain, still scored 21 goals in the subsequent season. No one could have predicted his subsequent decline, just as no one could have foreseen that Ronaldo would leave a year later. Against this background, the 19-year-old Mbappé ultimately joined Paris Saint-Germain, which was less stable but offered better salary terms.
Age
Mbappé joined Real Madrid at the age of 25, four years younger than Zinedine Zidane when he joined, and the same age as Ronaldo when he wore the white jersey. Taking his current age of 27 as a reference, Ronaldo scored 490 goals after the age of 27 in his career, while Lionel Messi also scored 427 goals in the same phase. From this perspective, it can be said that Real Madrid signed him before he truly entered the high-yield phase of his career.
However, the real challenge lies in the "second phase"—establishing a teammate support system for him similar to that Ronaldo had back then.
This means that other players in the team—many of whom also have "Ballon d’Or-level" potential—need to recognize Mbappé’s special status and understand that building the team around him and fighting alongside him is not a humiliation. If there are still doubts, just ask Benzema.
