Real Madrid opened their 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan. The match was played at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Goals in the first half from Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde were enough to secure the win. The goals came courtesy of errors from Inter’s defence and goalkeeper Josep Martinez.
The first goal of the match was significant for Mbappe. It marked his fifth goal of the season in all competitions. It also brought a change in the Champions League all-time scoring list. The Frenchman now has 71 goals in 99 appearances in the European competition. He has joined Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez as the joint fifth-highest goalscorer in the tournament’s history.
Mbappe now needs one more goal to surpass Raul and move into fifth place on his own. However, he still has a significant gap to close to reach the players above him. Karim Benzema has 91 goals and occupies fourth place. Robert Lewandowski has 109 goals and is in third place. Lionel Messi has 129 goals and is second. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the list with 141 goals.
The new Champions League format includes more matches compared to the era of Ronaldo and Messi. This gives the newer generation more opportunities to score. Just before the match against Inter, Mbappe was honoured with the Golden Boot trophy. He received it for scoring 15 goals in 11 matches in last season’s Champions League campaign. He has a scoring rate of 0.72 goals per match. At that rate, he would need approximately another 81 games to catch up to Messi. He would need around 96 matches to surpass Ronaldo.
Real Madrid started their Champions League campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Bernabeu. The match was the first of the 2026-27 season. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring and helped secure three points. The win was an important step in the club’s pursuit of another European title.
Mbappe has not won a major trophy since joining Real Madrid two years ago. He is eager to end this barren run. He told CBS Sports Golazo that winning the Champions League with Real Madrid is very important to him. He said he wants it more than anything. He said the team wants to achieve extraordinary things and compete with the best teams in the world. He acknowledged that last season was difficult in the Champions League. He said Real Madrid must always be at the top. He hopes the team competes well this season to reach their goals.
Before the Inter match, Mbappe said he sees himself in a good position to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or. However, he said he would give up that achievement to finally win a Champions League winner’s medal. He said the Ballon d’Or is a big opportunity for him this year. He said it has been a good year for him. However, he made it clear that the Champions League is more important because he plays for his dream club.
Mbappe was also asked about life under new Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho. He said Mourinho makes you feel alive and energetic in your work. He said Mourinho makes you feel like a special person. He admitted that Mourinho puts a lot of pressure on the players. Mbappe said Mourinho is very intense in training and talks a lot with the players. He said the team knows where Mourinho wants to go and what he expects from them. He said when a coach gives you that confidence and sense of responsibility, you do not want to let him down. You want to give your best.
A. Luis Figo presented Mbappe with the Golden Boot.
A. Mbappe has scored 71 goals in 99 appearances.
A. Mbappe scored 15 goals in 11 matches.
A. Cristiano Ronaldo leads with 141 goals.
A. Mbappe wants to win the Champions League with Real Madrid.
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