Kylian Mbappé has expressed his desire to make history with Real Madrid after scoring a hat trick in their 3-1 Champions League win over Manchester City, but insisted his season should be judged on trophies, not goals.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring in the fourth minute at the Santiago Bernabéu before adding a second 30 minutes later. His third goal, after an hour, ended the tie as a contest, before Nico González scored a late consolation for City, as Madrid progressed to the round of 8, 6-3 on aggregate.
“I didn’t want to come here to play badly,” Mbappé told Movistar, when asked how he’d turned his season around after a slow start. “Fulfilling my dream was one thing, but I wanted to play well, I wanted to define an era, to make history at Real Madrid.”
Despite a trophy-laden career, the Champions League title remains elusive for Mbappé. He tasted defeat in the 2020 final with Paris Saint-Germain, and the hunger to conquer Europe is a driving force. “The most important thing is winning trophies,” he emphasized. “I’ve scored a lot of goals in my career, but let’s see if it’s all for nothing, because we didn’t always win trophies. If I score a lot of goals and win trophies, I’ll sign for that in blood.”
Mbappé, now with 28 goals in all competitions this season, also shared his preference for a Champions League quarterfinal clash against Atlético Madrid, citing the advantage of avoiding extra travel.
“For me, Atlético would be better, because then we don’t travel! We travel a lot,” he explained. The quarterfinal draw, where Real Madrid will discover their next opponent, takes place on February 21.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti praised Kylian Mbappé’s performance and suggested he could reach the heights of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He has the quality to reach the level of Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Ancelotti said. “He has to work. Cristiano set the bar very high. He’s started his career at this club now. I think with his quality, and the excitement he has about playing here, he can reach Cristiano’s level, but it won’t be easy. He’ll have to work at it.”
Real Madrid now turns its attention to La Liga, where they face Girona on February 23.
