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Kylian Mbappe walked into Lisbon with Real Madrid needing a statement night. He still produced one – even if the scoreboard went the other way.
On Wednesday, the Frenchman rewrote a Champions League chapter that had carried Cristiano Ronaldo’s fingerprints for a decade, becoming the most prolific scorer ever in the competition’s first phase in a single season.
Mbappe’s brace at the Estadio da Luz took him to 13 goals in the 2025-26 Champions League league phase, a new benchmark under UEFA’s revamped format. The previous record belonged to Ronaldo, who struck 11 for Real Madrid in 2015-16, and it has stood untouched since then.
Kylian Mbappe is not just breaking records, he is lapping the field. He now leads the Champions League scoring race by five goals, turning every league-phase appearance into a pressure test for defences. For Real, it’s been the one reliable constant in a season that has swung between control and chaos.
The numbers are even more brutal when you add the context: Mbappe has reached 13 in just seven appearances, having missed one matchday through injury. Under the old six-game group stage, double digits were elite territory. Only a handful have ever hit 10 or more before the knockouts: Lionel Messi (10 for Barcelona in 2016-17), Robert Lewandowski (10 for Bayern in 2019-20) and Sebastien Haller (10 for Ajak in 2021-22). Mbappe didn’t just join that club – he moved the door.
Madrid, for their part, came to Portugal chasing a top-right finish to avoid the playoff route to the Round of 16. They left with the tougher path after a chaotic 4-2 defeat that ended with two late red cards and Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a 98th minute header. Mbappe’s goals briefly kept Madrid afloat, but Benfica’s wave kept coming.
For Mbappe, the record is a spotlight on a campaign that has been equal parts ruthless and spectacular. Earlier in the season, he tore through Olympiacos with a hat-trick in six minutes and 42 seconds, the second fastest in Champions League history – and has repeatedly turned league-phase nights into personal highlights. Across competitions, he has carried Madrid’s attack with a scoring rate that refuses to slow.
The bigger chase is now in view too. Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record for most goals in a single Champions League season is 17 (2013-14). With Madrid still alive and extra games looming via the playoffs, Mbappe has a realistic runway to threaten the ultimate number – and do it while dragging a wobble Madrid into spring.
