38 goals this season 

©TM/IMAGO

After a slow start to his Real Madrid career, Kylian Mbappé has silenced his critics to prove why he’s one of the best players on the planet. The 26-year-old ended one of the most protracted transfer sagas in football history by eventually joining Madrid in the summer, following the expiry of his contract at PSG. Mbappe arrived in the Spanish capital amid massive expectations with almost 80,000 fans attending his unveiling in the Santiago Bernabeu in July.

The French international was joining the Champions League holders and his integration wasn’t perfect as Carlo Ancelotti battled to find the perfect balance to his side. But with time, Mbappé has forged strong relationships with his teammates and he’s enjoyed an excellent individual season despite Barcelona’s dominance in Spain. Some legendary attackers have pulled on the famous white jersey over the years but Mbappé made history with his hat-trick in El Classico on Sunday as he became the top goalscorer in a debut season at Real Madrid.

Best goal scoring debut seasons at Real Madrid

Mbappe netted his 36th, 37th and 38th goals of the season as Madrid lost out 4-3 in a thrilling LaLiga title decider against arch rivals Barca on Sunday. There was significant criticism of Mbappe’s performances earlier in the season but it’s impossible to argue against his goalscoring return. The French international overtook Robert Lewandowski with his hat-trick to move clear as the top scorer in LaLiga this season with 27 goals and he also netted seven times in 14 Champions League games. 

Although Cristiano Ronaldo is renowned for his incredible goal scoring numbers, Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer doesn’t make the top two. Iván Zamorano had scored more goals than any other player in history during their first season at the Spanish giants before Mbappe smashed his record. The Chilean netted an impressive 37 goals in 45 games during the 1992/93 campaign after joining from Seville. As the graphic below illustrates, Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy both scored 33 goals in their first seasons at Madrid with both players joining from Manchester United. Ronaldo, however, ranks higher on our list as he reached that total in 12 games fewer than the former Netherlands international. Mexican icon Hugo Sanchez completes the top five with Jude Bellingham impressively in 11th, despite being a midfielder.