Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa believes Kylian Mbappe is “on track” to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.
Despite Madrid not having the best season they would have hoped for, Mbappe has continued to play at the highest level, scoring for fun. The Frenchman continued his good form on Sunday night as Madrid defeated Valencia 2-0.
Mbappe scored one of the goals and has now reached 82 efforts in total for the Spanish heavyweights.
The Frenchman registered 44 goals in his debut season with Los Blancos and has already reached 38 across 31 games this term.
Impressive statistics, however, the 27-year-old forward is some way short of Ronaldo’s stunning record at Madrid. The Portuguese GOAT, across nine memorable years in the Spanish capital, found the target on 450 occasions through 438 appearances.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal against Valencia. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP via Getty Images)
CR7 passed the 40-goal mark in all but one of his memorable campaigns in Madrid, topping 50 on four occasions.
Arbeloa, who is working as interim boss at the Bernabeu, sees no reason why Mbappe should not be setting his sights on Ronaldo and a place in the history books.
He told reporters after witnessing another impressive performance against Valencia: “We thought we wouldn’t see anything like Cristiano, but [Mbappe] is on track. Right now he’s the best player in the world for sure.
“What Cristiano did looked like something out of this world and impossible to match, as if nobody could come close. Kylian has a long path, because Cris was here for many years. But Kylian has the qualities to follow his path. You never know. If anyone can do it, it’s Kylian.”
Mbappe joined Real as a free agent in the summer of 2024 after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
He is the all-time leading scorer for the Ligue 1 giants, with 235 goals being recorded for them.
Since joining Madrid, Mbappe has won the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup, but is still waiting on his first piece of domestic silverware.
Arbeloa’s side are just one point adrift of Clasico rivals Barcelona in La Liga at present, and it’s left to see if they have what it takes to fight till the end.
