Ronaldo's ex-teammate backs Mbappe to mirror his legacy

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso is confident that Kylian Mbappe will mirror Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy at Real Madrid, as he inches closer to matching the Portugal international’s record for league goals scored in a calendar year.

Speaking ahead of the league clash against Celta Vigo, Alonso praised Mbappé, calling him an exceptional footballer, capable of influencing people and results.

“Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid, just like Cristiano did,” he said, per Goal. “With his ambition, his statistics ... he's among a chosen few.

“Working with him on a daily basis is great. His desire to influence others, his contagious energy, is something he shares with Cristiano. There, I see similarities. Cristiano is Cristiano, and Kylian is Kylian. They're both exceptional. We're very lucky to have Kylian, and we have to make the most of it.”

Emulating Ronaldo’s Real Madrid legacy is no mean feat. Between 2009 and 2018, he scored 451 goals in 438 appearances for the club, rewriting the club’s records.

He set new benchmarks for single-season and calendar-year hauls: his 2013 calendar-year total (59 goals) has stood as the club mark for more than a decade.

Kylian Mbappé is now closing in on that specific calendar-year record. He is currently on 55 goals in 55 matches in 2025, leaving him four goals shy of Ronaldo’s 59 with four matches remaining in the year.