Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring feat with goal against Atalanta

Real Madrid traveled to Bergamo for Matchday 6 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, aiming for a positive result to distance themselves from the elimination zone. The spotlight was on Kylian Mbappe, who, after scoring the opening goal, surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League goalscoring milestone.

Despite a slow start to the season at Real Madrid, Mbappe is beginning to find his rhythm, scoring in consecutive matches. In the Champions League, the French forward found the bottom corner within the first ten minutes of the match. It was his 12th goal for the club since his summer arrival, and with this strike against Atalanta, he not only secured the win but also overtook Ronaldo’s record in the competition.

With this goal, Mbappe reached 50 Champions League goals in just 79 appearances, doing so much faster than Ronaldo, who took 91 games to reach the same milestone. Mbappe also surpassed several legends on the all-time list, including Raul González, Thierry Henry, Thomas Müller, and Karim Benzema.

The 25-year-old is now the fourth-fastest player to reach this milestone in the competition, behind Robert Lewandowski (77 games), Lionel Messi (66), and Ruud van Nistelrooy (62).

Mbappe’s Champions League journey began in the 2016-17 season with Monaco, where he scored six goals. After moving to Paris Saint-Germain, his tally grew, and between the 2017-18 and 2023-24 seasons, he scored 42 more goals. Now at Real Madrid, his goal against Atalanta marked his second in the competition for his new club and clinched his 50th Champions League goal.

Mbappe, one of the youngest to reach 50 goals

Mbappe’s Champions League debut at just 17 years old turned heads, with Europe’s top clubs quickly taking notice during his time at Monaco. Since then, he has cemented his place as one of the competition’s most prolific young stars, becoming one of the youngest players to reach 50 goals.

The French forward achieved this milestone at the age of 25 years and 356 days, making him the second-youngest player to do so. The only player younger than Mbappe to reach 50 goals is none other than Lionel Messi, who reached the milestone at 24 years and 284 days.

As Mbappe nears his 26th birthday, he will be eager to extend his record. If he maintains his current form, he could soon join the exclusive list of players with 100 Champions League goals. This list is currently dominated by top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo (145 goals), Messi (132), and Lewandowski (109), with the Polish being the only active player still in Europe.