Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Kylian Mbappe can become a club “legend” like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mbappe has been racking up the goals since he joined Real Madrid on a free transfer following his exit from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The Frenchman has scored five goals in his last three La Liga matches, including a brace in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Leganes to take his overall tally to 33 goals in 45 competitive appearances this term.
As scored, Mbappe has joined Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo in second spot for the most goals by a Real Madrid player in their debut season.
Van Nistelrooy netted 33 goals in 47 matches in his debut campaign, while Ronaldo racked up 33 goals in 35 appearances in his first season as a Real Madrid star.
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Ancelotti makes Mbappe, Ronaldo comparison
Ronaldo went on to become a legend at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 450 goals in 438 matches to become the club’s all-time record goalscorer.
The Portugal international won numerous honours with Los Blancos, including two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
While Ronaldo set an incredibly high bar at Real Madrid, Ancelotti was clear in his answer when asked whether Mbappe could emulate the Portuguese star in the Spanish capital.
“It’s difficult but I wish Mbappe to match Ronaldo at Real Madrid for a long time, of course,” Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Sociedad.
“He has the quality to make it, I hope he becomes a legend of this club. He can do it. Cristiano’s impact here was more than goals.”
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Mbappe on course to break Zamorano record
Mbappe will have the chance to surpass Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy when he returns to action for Tuesday’s Copa del Rey fixture.
The France international should also break the outright record before the curtain comes down on his first season at Real Madrid.
Mbappe needs five goals between now and the end of the season to surpass the tally of Ivan Zamorano, who netted 37 goals in 45 matches in his first Real Madrid campaign in 1992-93.
Zamorano went on to score 101 goals in 173 appearances for Real Madrid, a tally recently passed by Mbappe’s teammate Vinicius Junior.
