Kylian Mbappe equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 Real Madrid goals in a calendar year, calling it an honour to match his childhood idol.
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe said it was an honour to equal his idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 59 Real Madrid goals in a calendar year.
The French superstar scored an 86th-minute penalty against Sevilla on his 27th birthday to match the club record set by Ronaldo in 2013.
“It’s a special day because it’s my birthday, I always said it would be a dream to play in a game on my birthday and at Real Madrid, the club of my dreams,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.
He said the objective was to finish the year with a positive result and called the record “incredible”.
“To do like Cristiano did, my idol, the best player in Real Madrid’s history and a world great, it’s an honour for me.”
Mbappe’s goal secured a 2-0 La Liga win for his side at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The striker has been Real Madrid’s key player this season under coach Xabi Alonso, boasting 29 goals in 24 games across all competitions.
He leads the Spanish league’s scoring charts again in the current campaign with 18 strikes.
Mbappe celebrated his goal by imitating Ronaldo’s signature jumping “Siu” celebration.
“It’s an honour for me, I wanted to give him a wink because he’s always been kind to me,” continued Mbappe.
“He always spoke to me well about Madrid, how to adapt to Madrid and everything.”
The forward added that he was happy to be scoring goals for Real Madrid and winning games.
“(The celebration) was for him,” he said.
“Normally I have my own but I wanted to share that with him today.”
Mbappe noted that Ronaldo was his idol as a kid and that they now have a very good relationship.
“He’s a friend now,” said the Frenchman.
Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches to become Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer.
Mbappe now has 73 goals in 83 games for the Spanish giants. – AFP
