Kylian Mbapp gave Real Madrid a glimmer of hope in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. His golden goal could prove decisive with the second leg in Munich still tied.
This was Mbapp’s 14th goal of the 2025/26 Champions League season, equaling Lionel Messi’s highest single-season goal in his career and moving him just three goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s all-time record.
Most goals in a single season in the Champions League
17 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2013/14) 16 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2015/16) 15 – Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, 2019/20) 15 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, 2017/18) 15 – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, 2021/22)14 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 2011/12)14 – Kylian Mbapp (Real Madrid, 2025/26)
Ronaldo has scored 14 or more goals in three different seasons, but his best remains his 17 goals in the 2013/14 season. This means Mbapp is now three away from equaling the record, but it will become even more difficult if Real Madrid cannot beat Bayern Munich in their return match.
Mbappu will need a hat-trick to equal Ronaldo’s record in the second leg in Munich. That already looks like a tall order for Manuel Neuer, who was in good form at Santiago Bernab.
Even if Real Madrid are eliminated, this season will be remembered as a historic one for Mbapp. But going in without a title or record will feel like a failure for the French superstar.
