Real Madrid star remains in contention for the Pichichi despite poor start to the season | OneFootball

Real Madrid were finally able to land one of their most-desired targets in the market from the last few years in the last summer transfer window, i.e., Kylian Mbappe.

The French superstar joined the Merengue team after running out his contract with Paris Saint Germain, and his arrival made the Los Blancos already fearsome frontline even deadlier.

Naturally, he needed some time to adapt to his new side and after scoring in his very first game in a Real Madrid shirt, against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, he was a bit slow in finding the back of the net in La Liga.

He went the first three league games, against Mallorca, Real Valladolid, and Las Palmas, without getting on the scoresheet. Two of these games, against Mallorca and Las Palmas, ended up in draws for the Merengues, and despite his recent arrival, fans were already looking forward to the Frenchman to start making a difference for them.

Mbappe did not take long answering their call, as he opened his scoring account in the league with a brace against Real Betis, and his goals helped Carlo Ancelotti’s team gain the full points from that game.

After that, the French star did not really hold back. He scored in the ensuing three consecutive games as well, and helped Real Madrid gain wins against the likes of Real Sociedad, Espanyol, and Alaves.

In total, Transfermarkt statistics show that he scored 10 goals in La Liga before the end of 2024 but was unable to score against two of the main contenders for Los Blancos in the title race, i.e., Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. He missed the game against the former due to a muscle injury, and was quite poor against the latter, unable to beat their immaculate offside trap.

However, Mbappe got into his best form so far after the turn of the year. After being unable to get on the scoresheet against Valencia, he scored a brace against Las Palmas, before scoring his first league hat-trick in a Real Madrid shirt against Real Valladolid.

He also scored in the second league of the season against Atletico Madrid, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and also got on the scoresheet in the ensuing games against Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano.

The Frenchman scored another brace in his last league game, against Villarreal, before leaving for his national team duties. This brace was essential for the Merengues as it gave them the full three points, allowing them to remain in the La Liga race with Barcelona.

In total, the former PSG star has scored 20 goals in the league, and thus is only 2 goals behind his main competitor for the Pichichi, i.e., Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish veteran had 16 league goals to his name before the end of 2024 and thus enjoyed a clear advantage over his rival from Real Madrid. However, the Frenchman has cut down most of the deficit in 2025, and with the way things are shaping up, it would be very hard to bet against him winning the Pichichi in his very first season in Spain.