71st European Goal Equals Raul as Real Madrid Beat Inter 2-1
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe scored his 71st UEFA Champions League goal during a 2-1 victory against Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu on September 8, 2026, drawing level with club legend Raul Gonzalez as the joint fifth all-time top goalscorer in tournament history. The milestone reshapes European football‘s historical leaderboard, giving sports analysts and football historians a new marker as the French forward continues tracking toward Karim Benzema’s fourth-place tally of 91 goals.
Golden Boot Winner Reaches 99 European Matches with 0.72 Scoring Rate
Before kickoff at the Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe was presented with the Golden Boot trophy honoring his 15 goals in 11 matches during last season’s Champions League campaign. His opening strike against Inter Milan, complemented by a first-half goal from Federico Valverde following defensive errors and a mistake by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez, marked his fifth goal across all competitions in the current season. Holding a career European scoring rate of 0.72 goals per match through 99 appearances, Mbappe requires an estimated 81 additional matches to reach Lionel Messi’s 129 goals and 96 matches to catch record-holder Cristiano Ronaldo at 141 goals under the expanded tournament format.
The achievement places Mbappe alongside Raul on 71 goals, trailing fourth-place Karim Benzema on 91, third-place Robert Lewandowski on 109, Messi on 129, and Ronaldo at the top of the all-time list.
