Kylian Mbappe honored by UEFA after Champions League hat trick for Real Madrid

Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League league phase was played between Tuesday and Wednesday. One of the highlights was Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick in Real Madrid’s 5–0 win over Kairat Almaty, which earned him a major honor.

“Mbappé’s hat-trick earns him Player of the Week!” announced the official Champions League account on X this Thursday, awarding the French forward for his performance in Kazakhstan, where he played a key role in securing Real Madrid’s second straight win in the European tournament.

Those three goals put Kylian ahead of several other top performers this week. UEFA’s top four included Napoli’s Rasmus Hojlund, FK Bodo/Glimt’s Jens Petter Hauge, and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

But that wasn’t all. Mbappe was also named to the Champions League Team of the Week, selected as one of the two forwards alongside Hojlund. The Danish star also had a standout showing, scoring a brace in Napoli’s 2–1 win over Sporting CP.

The Champions League Team of the Week

Beyond naming Kylian Mbappe the Player of the Week, UEFA also recognized other standout performers across various clubs. When unveiling the Team of the Week, the organization made a point of selecting 11 players from different teams to ensure broader representation.

This week’s Champions League XI includes: Uğurcan Çakır (Galatasaray); Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Eric Dier (AS Monaco), Nuno Mendes (PSG); Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Jens Petter Hauge (FK Bodo/Glimt); Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Rasmus Hojlund (Napoli).

When does the Champions League return?

The league phase of the Champions League includes a total of eight matches for each club, and only the first two rounds have been played so far. However, the tournament will pause next week due to the October international break, during which top players will return to their national teams for friendlies or World Cup qualifiers.

With that in mind, Champions League fans will have to wait until Tuesday, October 21, and Wednesday, October 22, for Matchday 3. That week, Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid will feature in one of the most anticipated clashes—against Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.