Real Madrid End-of-Season Player Ratings: Mbappe’s 8.5/10 tops the attacking grades | OneFootball

Real Madrid, over the years, have been synonymous with goals simply because of the sheer quality they boast of in their front-line. With the biggest names in the sport always at the club, scoring goals has never really been their Achilles heel.

For the first time in a long while, however, that appeared to be a hurdle for Los Blancos this season as they failed to find the back of the net as seamlessly as they usually do.

With Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. leading the front line, Los Blancos had the best in the business to handle their attacking matters for them. Yet, the season exemplified that names are nothing in football without synergy.

Madrid Universal brings you the 2025-26 season ratings of Real Madrid’s forwards from the recently concluded campaign.

Kylian Mbappe

There are two aspects to Mbappe’s second season at Real Madrid – the statistical takeaway and the practical scenario, both of which do not quite go hand in hand.

At a time when the squad around him was struggling for goals, fitness, and form, Mbappe stepped up time and time again as Real Madrid’s top goalscorer, and at one point in the season, he was responsible for more than half of the team’s goals.

His efficiency in front of goal was exceptional throughout the season irrespective of the venue, opposition, or competition, and his class as an elite finisher was on full display. He finished the season with 42 goals and six assists including 25 goals in La Liga.

The practical reality, however, began to come to light towards the end of the season when it became clear that Mbappe’s lack of defensive responsibility was affecting the team’s greater good.

Furthermore, a knee injury had an impact on his performances in the second half of the season, while there were also clear signs of a divide in the dressing room – all of which leave a bittersweet ending to his season.

Season rating: 8.5

Vinicius Jr.

Not at his best consistently enough. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old Brazilian entered the season with a renewed role as an on-field leader and captain, especially with Dani Carvajal not regularly playing and Luka Modric leaving.

While his metrics were not poor in any sense, he lacked his usual quality and consistency down the left flank that has been known for over the years.

The player did not see too many injury breaks or troubles over the course of the season, and his domestic season was not too bad with 16 goals and five assists. In fact, his isolated plays were often the team’s only attacking outlet when the midfield failed.

However, Vinicius did not finish the season as convincingly as he would have liked, and it is clear that the emotional weight of the chaotic environment around him took its toll.

One must not forget, moreover, that he was far from his best in a behavioural sense and that he, if reports are to be believed, was directly responsible for initiating the cascade that led to Xabi Alonso’s dismissal.

Season rating: 7.5

Rodrygo

Rodrygo’s season was deeply painful with the first half being plagued by a struggle for prominence and the second half seeing him face a gruesome ACL injury.

The beginning of the season was rough for the Brazilian star as he had to fight for minutes under Xabi Alonso who took a clear liking for Franco Mastantuono over him. 

Eventually, his moment arrived in the winter when he stepped up and claimed a place in Alonso’s plans. The manager, however, was sacked soon after being forced back to square one.

Just when it seemed like the player was making a case to be a regular starter and that he had recovered from tendinitis, he suffered an ACL tear that ended his season for good.

Season rating: 5

Franco Mastantuono

The Argentine prodigy was under the spotlight as one of the team’s new signings from last summer, but it served as a cruel but much-needed reminder of how moving to Europe is not the fairytale it is projected to be.

Arriving as one of the brightest talents of his country and continent, Mastantuono was expected to gel into Real Madrid seamlessly. Over the course of the season, however, he was humbled and reminded of why playing under pressure is not for everybody.

A frustrating debut season. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)

His season began with decent promise and prominence under Alonso with the player even making an impact in games in La Liga. As the big games began to arrive, however, he slowly began being relegated to the bench.

A bout of pubalgia towards the end of 2025 then took a hit on his continuity, and he never really returned. By the time he returned, there was a new manager at the helm who no longer trusted him, and he too looked out of his depth on the field.

As the months passed, his campaign went from bad to worse, leaving him staring at the possibility of a loan exit and with a snub from the Argentine national team for the FIFA World Cup.

Season rating: 6

Gonzalo Garcia

The 2025/26 campaign was Garcia’s breakout campaign, especially after his impressive FIFA Club World Cup, and the management decided to take a bet on him as Kylian Mbappe’s deputy.

Under Alonso, he was used as a high-impact substitute regularly who stepped up fearlessly and delivered for the team. His hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 5-1 win over Real Betis marked his best moment in the season.

When Alonso left and Arbeloa took over, however, the youngster’s season began to look bleak, and his output in front of goal drastically took a hit as well.

Season rating: 6.5

Brahim Diaz

Diaz was used as Real Madrid’s tactical asset throughout the season and was incredibly effective and professional throughout the course of the campaign. All that stopped him from reaching his ceiling was the sheer number of star players ahead of him.

Under both managers, Brahim served as the ultimate ‘Swiss knife’ and helped plug holes across the field with no complaints. He was an impact substitute for most of the season barring the portion where Kylian Mbappe was injured.

Across his 42 total appearances, the player had just 17 starts with two goals and seven assists to show. He served as a creative presence in Real Madrid’s otherwise dry buildup play and ended the season with some doubts around his future.

Season rating: 7