Real Madrid fans celebrated Mbappé’s goal, but it was immediately disallowed — here’s the full sequence.
Mbappé looks unstoppable. It’s that simple. The French striker has reached a peak of sharpness and agility, combined with his speed and finishing, making him a constant threat. When the team supports him even moderately — as happened in El Clásico — he doesn’t need much to rack up chances.
In the match against Barcelona, Real Madrid’s No. 10 was once again in the spotlight from the start. He sounded the alarm just 10 minutes in, exploiting Barcelona’s high defensive line, but the goal was ruled out. Ten minutes later, he scored a perfectly legal goal in a very similar move.
Flick’s side is playing with fire against a striker of Mbappé’s caliber. Last season, despite Madrid being far inferior collectively, Mbappé managed to score five goals against the Catalan club — five of the seven goals his team netted. He only failed to score in the first league match (a 0-4 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu), where he repeatedly fell into offside traps. The speed gap between the Madrid star and Barcelona’s center-backs (and practically any defense) is almost insulting and gives Madrid a huge competitive edge.
The only one who managed to stop the Frenchman in El Clásico was Szczesny, who saved a penalty with a remarkable hand. That save prevented Mbappé’s numbers from skyrocketing even further, though it didn’t change the outcome Barcelona had hoped for.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé celebrates the win against Barcelona. / SERGIO PEREZ / EFE
Overall, including his time at PSG, Mbappé has now faced Barcelona eight times and scored 11 goals, along with one assist. That tally includes two hat-tricks and a brace.
After winning the Golden Boot last year — the highlight of an otherwise poor Madrid season — he’s on a similar trajectory this campaign, though Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are set to challenge him.
We’re only in October, and Mbappé already has 16 goals (11 in La Liga and five in the Champions League) in just 13 matches. Averaging more than one goal per game, if Madrid’s season brings collective silverware, he could well be a top contender for individual awards.
