Mbappe Surpasses Raul to Enter Champions League Top Five Scorers in 100th Appearance

Kylian Mbappé celebrated his 100th Champions League appearance by scoring at the Stadio Olimpico, propelling him past Raúl into fifth place on the competition’s all-time scoring charts. The French striker’s first-half equalizer for Real Madrid against Roma brought his career total in the tournament to 72 goals.

The strike broke a deadlock with Raúl at 71 goals, leaving Mbappé alone in fifth. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema sit above him in the competition’s history.

Mbappé’s journey to this milestone began with Monaco in the 2016-17 season. He debuted as a substitute versus Bayer Leverkusen and netted his first Champions League goal in a 5-3 defeat to Manchester City.

Since then, he has found the net in nearly half of his outings, recording four hat-tricks, 11 braces, and a four-goal haul against Olympiacos in a 4-3 victory. Despite reaching the 2020 final with Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League trophy remains the sole major honour missing from his cabinet.

The goal comes at a timely moment for Mbappé, whose scoring form had dipped in recent weeks following a strong start to the campaign. He had tallied eight goals across LaLiga and the Champions League prior to the fixture, and his finishing had come under scrutiny at a Madrid side still seeking consistency under José Mourinho, who has publicly backed the forward.

Champions League all-time top scorers

Following his goal in Rome, Mbappé sits fifth with 72 goals, one clear of Raúl. The top four—Ronaldo, Messi, Lewandowski, and Benzema—remain unchanged, while Harry Kane and Thomas Müller are tied for tenth after Kane’s brace against Viking FK.

Mbappé’s latest strike marks another step toward the summit of the Champions League scoring charts, though he trails Benzema by 18 goals in fourth place. At 27, he has ample time to continue his ascent, and his legacy among the competition’s greatest scorers is already assured.

Source link