Kylian Mbappé has stirred both joy and concern. He played for 35 minutes before being forced to leave the field due to injury, as confirmed by Real Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti. It wasn’t the result of a tackle or collision, but according to an ESPN source, Mbappé felt discomfort in his left thigh. He will undergo further tests today. After the win, Ancelotti said, “(Mbappé) felt a strain. It didn’t seem too serious, but I can’t say for sure. Let’s see what the tests show tomorrow. He couldn’t run and felt discomfort, so we had to take him off.”
If there is concern about Mbappé’s injury, there is also joy for Real Madrid fans from the 35 minutes he spent on the field. Mbappé delivered exactly the performance they expect from him.
In Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Atalanta in Bergamo, Mbappé scored the first goal. In the 10th minute, he received a pass from Brahim Díaz and brilliantly sidestepped an opposing defender before firing the ball into the net with his left foot. He had two more shots that hit the post, but that goal marked a milestone for Mbappé, reaching 50 goals in the Champions League.
Mbappé now has 50 goals in 79 Champions League appearances, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo to become the fastest to reach 50 goals in Europe’s premier competition. Ronaldo achieved the milestone in 91 matches. Mbappé is now fourth in the all-time list for the fastest 50 goals in the Champions League, with the top three being Ruud van Nistelrooy (62 matches), Lionel Messi (66), and Robert Lewandowski (72).
At just 25 years and 11 months, Mbappé also became the second youngest player to reach 50 goals in the Champions League. Messi holds the record, having reached it at 24 years and 284 days. And who did Mbappé surpass to claim the second spot? None other than Cristiano Ronaldo, who had previously held the record with 50 goals at 28 years and 2 months.
Mbappé is likely aware of these milestones, which may explain why he shared a picture of Ronaldo on his Instagram story after the match. Following four photos from the game, he posted a fifth photo of Ronaldo with a gesture made with his fingers, accompanied by a “shh” emoji. While the exact reason for this post is unknown, one can speculate!
It is well known that Ronaldo was Mbappé’s childhood idol. Upon joining Real Madrid, Mbappé received his well-wishes from the Portuguese legend. However, in an interview with Rio Ferdinand last September, Ronaldo said about Mbappé, “Let’s see if he can handle the pressure. Real Madrid is not PSG. Now that he’s there, people might wonder if he’ll make Real Madrid better. We don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Ronaldo’s comment was understandable. Since joining Real Madrid last June, Mbappé hadn’t quite lived up to expectations, especially after missing penalties against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga and Liverpool in the Champions League this season. But with his goal last night, Mbappé silenced critics and perhaps sent a message to Ronaldo with his post to keep quiet about the matter!
