Kylian Mbappe has carved out a place in the hearts of Real Madrid supporters since arriving as a free agent in the summer of 2024. He endeared himself to the club’s faithful even more after paying tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this Saturday.
But what did the 27-year-old striker do after equalling one of Ronaldo’s records?
Kylian Mbappe Imitates Cristiano Ronaldo During Recent Real Madrid Win
Leading the line in a 4-3-3 system, Mbappe bagged his team’s second goal in Real Madrid’s 2-0 La Liga win against Sevilla at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, Dec. 20. He scored from the penalty spot in the 86th minute and copied Ronaldo’s iconic “Siu” celebration.
The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Monaco star imitated Ronaldo as he matched the Portuguese’s record of most goals for a Real Madrid player in a single calendar year. He scored his 59th club goal in as many appearances in 2025 to level the Al-Nassr star’s 2013 haul.
𝑺𝑰𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼𝑼 🙆♂️
Kylian Mbappé does his idol’s celebration after scoring his 59th goal for in 2025 ⚽️
He equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s record from 2013 for the most goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid 👏 pic.twitter.com/AUmdcoJWTE
— 433 (@433) December 20, 2025
After the end of Real Madrid’s clash against Sevilla, Mbappe revealed his motivation behind paying homage to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in front of Los Merengues supporters.
“Ronaldo celebration? My celebration was dedicated to him, he’s my friend and my hero. Cristiano helped me adapt to Real Madrid. We talked a lot. It was nice. I have my own celebration, but I wanted to dedicate this to him,” Mbappe said (via Yahoo! Sports).
So far this campaign, Mbappe has netted 29 times in 24 overall outings for Real Madrid.
READ MORE: Fast and Furious Actor Teases Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Welcome’ To Franchise
Former Real Madrid Star Picks Ronaldo Over Lionel Messi
Ex-Real Madrid ace Marcelo has insisted that Ronaldo is the only player he enjoys watching, despite labelling Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi as one of his toughest opponents.
“My toughest opponent? Messi was a real pain. (Former Manchester City and Sevilla star) Jesus Navas also made things very difficult for me, and (former Real Sociedad ace) Xabi Prieto was also very hard to defend against. (Former Barcelona and Chelsea player) Pedro was also very good,” the Brazilian said (via X/@MadridXtra).
Marcelo, who represented Real Madrid from 2007 to 2022, said, “However, I always choose Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is incredible. We’ve enjoyed watching both of them, well, I’ve only enjoyed watching one. I’m a die-hard Cristiano fan.”
Between 2009 and 2018, Marcelo played alongside Ronaldo 332 times at Los Merengues.
