Kylian Mbappé is on fire

Now that the second half of the 2024/25 season has arrived, every goal, every point and every victory matters more. And, it's at thiMbappéial stage of the campaign that Kylian Mbappé has hit his best form.

The French forward has been scoring goals ever since he arrived at Real Madrid from Paris Saint-German in the summer, even netting on his debut in the UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta. But, it's only now that he is truly looking like the Kylian Mbappé of the past few years, a true nightmare for opposition defenders.

On Saturday night, Mbappé scored all three goals of Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Real Valladolid, a victory which extends Los Blancos' lead at the top of LALIGA EA SPORTS to four points over city rivals Atlético de Madrid. It was his first hat-trick in Real Madrid colours, and the 20th time in his career that he has scored three goals in a game, after doing so 14 times for PSG, three times for France and twice for Monaco.  

That performance against Real Valladolid continued a recent trend, as Mbappé has been in excellent scoring form for several weeks now. He has scored 12 goals across his past 12 appearances, and has 22 total goals this season. In LALIGA EA SPORTS, the Frenchman is now on to 15 goals, placing him second in the Pichichi Trophy standings and just two goals behind FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. 

It's not just that he's scoring many goals, it's that he's scoring Kylian Mbappé-esque goals. His first on Saturday night was a classic example, a burst of acceleration and pace into the area and a clinical finish into the far corner. This is the player Real Madrid fans dreamed about having in their squad for so long, and he's finally here. 

Speaking after the win over Real Valladolid, Mbappé explained how he has adapted to the team over these first few months in Spain. He stated: “I said it on my first day, that I can play in any of the three positions in attack and that I had to adapt to the team, and now things are clear. I can play from the right, the centre or the left, and the movements come naturally with the teammates I have. I’m pleased about the hat-trick, but even happier for the win. I say it every week, but it was important to win today. We know that nothing is over until Matchday 38, but we have a lot of confidence and hope to keep this up.”

His colleagues were also delighted to see the summer arrival scoring his first hat-trick for the club, and they signed the match ball afterwards. “Congrats, my No.9,” was Jude Bellingham’s message. “Ooh la la, brother,” wrote Brahim Díaz. “Pressing monster,” added Luka Modrić. It’s clear that Mbappé is settling in well at Real Madrid, and he’s in peak form at the optimal moment of the season.