Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé has won the European Golden Shoe in his first season with the Royal team for the 2024-2025 season, after scoring 31 goals in 34 La Liga matches, becoming the third player in the club’s history to achieve this feat.
Mexican Hugo Sánchez was the first Real Madrid player to win the award, scoring 38 goals in the 1989-1990 season. He was followed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the Golden Shoe three times with Real, scoring 40 goals in the 2010-2011 season, 31 goals in the 2013-2014 season, and 48 goals in the 2014-2015 season.
After a decade of absence, brilliance returned to Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappé, making the celebration of this award exceptional in every way.
In response to a question about whether he dreamed of this award, Mbappé said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper “Marca”: “Of course, since my childhood I have always dreamed of scoring goals, and this is the dream of every child who plays football.”
The French international added: “If Real Madrid wins La Liga this season, and I also win another Golden Shoe, I will be happier than I am now.”
Regarding his favorite goal, which he keeps on his phone, he said: “I usually say the last goal, but this time I choose the first, because it was my first goal at the Bernabéu, and it was a special feeling against Real Betis, so that moment was the beginning of my story in this stadium.”
Mbappé confirmed that he does not care about his shirt number, whether it is 9 or 10, adding: “I am a striker who can play in different positions, and scores from anywhere, and I prefer to leave this description to people, so my best description is what others say about me.”
Mbappé was asked about the difference between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid from his point of view, as he played for both teams defending their colors, and he replied: “They are completely different, with different histories, Paris is an emerging club, while Real has a more ancient history.”
He added: “The culture is also different, without a doubt, Real Madrid is the best club in the world, but San Germin is among the best, and each of them has a different point of view about understanding football, and I am proud to be part of both clubs.”
Can Cristiano be surpassed?
The Spanish newspaper asked Mbappé if he was thinking of surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, and he replied: “I don’t know how to answer this question, everyone knows that Cristiano is a legend in Madrid, he is number 1.”
He added: “I have only been here for a year and a half, while he was here for 9 years, and I cannot compare myself to what he achieved, my path is different, and I want to take my own path, but being mentioned alongside Cristiano is a real honor.”
Kylian Mbappé added, during the statements he made during his interview with “Marca”: “But I am only focused on following my own path, by helping the team and winning all possible titles.”
Mbappé spoke about his opinion of Arda Güler, saying: “He didn’t surprise me. He is a very talented young player. He is still young, but he is ready to help the team.”
He added: “He started the season in a great way for his age. He has a magic touch that the Bernabéu fans love. I just hope he continues at this level, because he can be very important to us, and I am happy to play alongside him.”
When asked about his goals this season, he replied: “I want to fight for everything. You can’t choose just one goal, of course, it will be difficult, but I want to win everything and give everything I have in every competition, I will not choose just one goal.”
Working under Alonso
Regarding his role with his current coach Xabi Alonso, Mbappé said: “I have played under many coaches, and I am used to each of them having their own philosophy and style.”
He added: “Xabi is different from Ancelotti; he has his own way of working, and little by little we understand what he wants. You can see on the field that we have improved since the beginning of the season, and since the Club World Cup, although we have room for improvement.”
He continued: “We haven’t won anything yet, but we are doing well. We are on the right track, and we hope to win every possible title.”
At the end of the interview, he was asked if he was setting a new record for himself to reach this season, and he replied: “No, I have never set a specific number. My goal is to seize every opportunity to score and help the team.”
He concluded: “The more goals I score, the more titles we can win. My priority is always to contribute to the team, whether by scoring goals or by anything else that enables us to win, that is the most important thing, and I will do my best to achieve it.”
