Kylian Mbappé goes into the final matchday of Real Madrid's La Liga season on 24 goals, one game away from retaining the Pichichi Trophy. The same numbers also show how sharply his season has split in two. He has scored only one La Liga goal in the last three months after a knee injury flared at the end of 2025, even though the scoring race in Spain is still set up for him to finish on top.

Why the Pichichi is still Mbappe's to lose

Jamie Spencer summed it up cleanly: “Kylian Mbappé is one game away from retaining the Pichichi Trophy, the annual award given to the top scorer in La Liga.” That remains the key point. Mbappé's 24 league goals are enough to leave him in control of the Spanish scoring race, and his five assists give him a useful tie-break edge if he finishes level with Vedat Muriqi.

The late-season drop is still hard to ignore. Spencer also noted that Mbappé has only scored one La Liga goal in the last three months, which is a very different finish from the start he made to the campaign. His 7.52 league rating and 24 goals in 30 La Liga appearances still point to a highly productive season, but the knee problem clearly changed the rhythm.

Why the Golden Shoe race is already gone

The European race has not stayed close. Harry Kane has 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances, and he leads Mbappé by 12 goals in the Golden Shoe standings. That gap is too large for this to be treated as a proper contest, even with one league game left in Spain.

That is why the season looks different depending on which table you check. Mbappé can still finish as La Liga's top scorer and keep the Pichichi Trophy, but the wider European scoring picture has already moved on. Kane's total has made the Golden Shoe race a separate conversation.

Muriqi is the only live threat to the Pichichi itself. He sits on 22 La Liga goals, so Mbappé's margin is comfortable but not finished until the last whistle goes. Mallorca also have their own final-day pressure, which means Muriqi's score chase is arriving in a tense setting. If Mbappé closes out the league with the title of top scorer intact, the record will reflect a season that started fast, stalled badly, and still ended with him at the front in Spain.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →