Mbappé has until 2 November to chase Ronaldo’s 100-goal mark

Kylian Mbappé has a clear deadline: 2 November — the date Cristiano Ronaldo reached 100 goals for Real Madrid in 2011.

The target and the math

On 2 November 2011 Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid at the Stade de Lyon in his third season under Jose Mourinho, achieving the milestone in his 105th appearance — a speed record he now shares with Erling Haaland. That same appearance count is the benchmark Mbappé must beat if he wants to reach 100 goals faster than anyone else in the club's history.

Since arriving in the Spanish capital, Mbappé has produced prolific scoring seasons. In his first campaign for Real Madrid he finished with 44 goals, 31 of them in La Liga, a return that earned him the Golden Boot. Despite his personal numbers, the team struggled: eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals and losing La Liga and the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona.

Mbappé's second season began poorly. After Xabi Alonso took over as coach, the forward suffered a serious gastroenteritis that sidelined him for weeks and disrupted preparations for the Club World Cup. When he returned to form, he ran hot — stringing together a run of eight consecutive matches and equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals in a calendar year, 59. Spring setbacks, compounded by a knee problem from January and a spell with Arbeloa at the helm, interrupted the campaign.

Still, Mbappé closed the season with an impressive scoring total of 42 goals in all competitions. He did not secure a team trophy or retain the Golden Boot, but he did win the Pichichi as La Liga's top scorer for a second straight year. After a second-round hat-trick against Real Sociedad, his Real Madrid tally stands at 89 goals in 105 appearances — eleven goals short of Ronaldo's century reached in the same number of games.

The calendar gives Mbappé 12 matches to bridge that gap before 2 November: nine in La Liga and three in the Champions League group stage. Eleven goals in twelve matches is a steep challenge, but for a player of his calibre it remains possible. As a reference point, on 16 September 2025 Mbappé passed the 50-goal mark for the club after scoring twice against Marseille in the Champions League; the speed of his rise underlines why 2 November has become a symbolic target.

Whether he can cross the line with the record in hand will be decided across those remaining fixtures.

Photo: press material from the event