Mbappé and Julián Álvarez: the derby of the stars

From the cast of stars that will grace the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Saturday, February 8th, two names will shine the brightest: Kylian Mbappé and Julián Álvarez are two of the most talked-about signings of last summer, and they arrive at the MADRID DERBY in top form.

Kylian Mbappé's Figures

Kylian Mbappé joined Real Madrid in July 2024 after eight seasons at Paris Saint Germain.  A long-time dream for Los Blancos that he fulfilled, as he described it, as his childhood desire. So far, this dream has been prolific for both the club and the player, with Mbappé netting 22 goals to date.

The 26-year-old striker from Bondy has scored 22 goals in 34 matches, starting 32 of them. He has found the back of the net in three finals (European Super Cup, Intercontinental, and Spanish Super Cup) and has already secured two titles. In LALIGA EA SPORTS, his numbers are sensational, with 15 goals in 20 games, all as a starter.

Mbappé is also entering the match in his best form of the season. In five of his last seven matches, he has scored (eight goals across LALIGA, Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and Champions League). In the last eleven official matches, he has netted 12 goals.

Julián Álvarez's numbers

Julián Álvarez also arrived as a star at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. The 25-year-old Argentine striker left Manchester City, where he won two Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy, to join the Red and White team. He has quickly become a key player for Simeone's team.

At this point in the season, Álvarez has played 35 matches, 27 of them as a starter, and scoring 16 goals. In LALIGA EA SPORTS, he has 'only' scored 6 goals in 22 matches, but they have been highly impactful: four of them have meant victory, and one earned a crucial point. He has scored in 13 matches, achieving an impressive record of 11 wins, one draw, and just one defeat.

Kylian Mbappé vs Julián Álvarez

The duel will be the first in which Julián Álvarez and Kylian Mbappé face each other at club level, and the second official encounter between them. In the first leg played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano (1-1) Mbappé was sidelined due to injury, so they did not face each other on the pitch.With their previous teams, they never met.

They did, however, face each other at the national team level in the historic 2022 World Cup final. Despite Mbappé's 'hat trick', Álvarez was crowned world champion alongside Leo Messi (3-3 and 4-2 on penalties).