Birthday Boy Pays Tribute to Idol After Milestone Penalty Secures Vital Three Points
Kylian Mbappe celebrated his 27th birthday by matching a historic club record, as his late penalty helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday, cutting the gap on league leaders Barcelona to just one point.
The French superstar calmly converted a second-half spot-kick to draw level with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid record of 59 goals in a single calendar year, set in 2013. The goal came after Jude Bellingham had given the hosts a first-half lead with a powerful header from a Rodrygo free-kick.
“To do like Cristiano did, my idol, the best player in Real Madrid’s history and a world great, it’s an honour for me,” said Mbappe, who followed his goal with Ronaldo’s iconic “Siu” celebration. “I wanted to give him a wink because he’s always been kind to me. He was my idol as a kid.”
The win, Madrid’s third in a row across all competitions, offered some relief to coach Xabi Alonso after a challenging run of form. Despite the result, Alonso acknowledged his side’s performance was far from flawless.
“We’ve got some time now to analyse and reflect where we are now,” he said ahead of the winter break. “We want to do better, we’re self-critical. We got the three points and now we’ll use this time and try to start the year better.”
Sevilla started brightly, with veteran Alexis Sanchez causing problems, but Madrid grew into the game. Bellingham’s header broke the deadlock, and the visitors’ task became harder when coach Matias Almeyda was sent off at halftime for dissent.
Sevilla continued to fight after the break, with Thibaut Courtois making two sharp saves to deny Isaac Romero. Madrid’s pursuit of a second goal was fueled by Mbappe’s determination to match the record; he struck the crossbar with a header and saw another effort flash wide before Sevilla defender Marcao was sent off for a second yellow card.
The record-equaling moment finally arrived in the 78th minute. After Juanlu tripped Rodrygo in the box, Mbappe stepped up and sent goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos the wrong way, sparking jubilant celebrations.
“Scoring 59 goals is not easy, he’s got quality and talent—it’s hard to stop him in training,” said Courtois, who then issued a challenge to the team: “Hopefully 2026 comes with trophies, but for that we have to improve our level.”
Madrid saw two further penalty claims overturned after VAR reviews, and Mbappe curled a late free-kick just over as he narrowly missed the chance to break the record outright.
The victory leaves Madrid poised just behind Barcelona, who play on Sunday, while Sevilla slip to ninth. Elsewhere in La Liga, Celta Vigo climbed to seventh after a goalless draw at Real Oviedo, Levante held Real Sociedad 1-1, and Osasuna moved up to 12th with a 3-0 win over Alavés.
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