Kylian Mbappé scored 42 goals in 44 games in 2025-26, a return that would normally define a season on its own. It did not define Real Madrid's year. They finished second in La Liga with 86 points, then went out 6-4 on aggregate to Bayern München in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Why the individual numbers are hard to dismiss
Mbappé's league output was 25 goals in 31 La Liga appearances, and he also scored 15 Champions League goals in 11 matches. Those are not empty numbers. They are the kind of totals that usually sit at the centre of a title push, and they are exactly why this season keeps drawing two different readings.
On the one hand, Mbappé was elite. On the other, Real Madrid still finished behind in the league and were beaten out of Europe before the semi-finals. The club's own results are the stronger evidence here. A 42-goal season from one player cannot be treated as a success story when the team ends second and leaves the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
Why the blame still lands on Madrid, not Mbappe
Jorge Valdano was blunt in Mbappé's defence. Speaking to goal.com, he said: "We are not talking about a fraud; we are talking about perhaps the best player in the world at this moment."
He also pushed back on the idea that Mbappé should carry the whole burden of Madrid's problems: "To put the responsibility for everything good that happens to Paris Saint-Germain and everything bad that happens to Real Madrid on this man, who is the top scorer in the championship, seems like abuse to me."
That view is hard to ignore because the season's evidence backs part of it. Mbappé scored 42 goals, won the Pichichi with 25 league goals, and still watched Real Madrid fall short in both major competitions. The criticism should be aimed at a team that could not turn those numbers into trophies, not at the forward who produced them.
Valdano was not alone either. Florentino Perez said: "Kylian is the best player of Madrid at this moment."
That is probably the cleanest reading of the season. Mbappé delivered at a level Madrid could not match around him, and the club's second-place finish and quarter-final exit say more about the team than about the scorer.
FAQ
Was Kylian Mbappe still one of the best players in the world despite Real Madrid's poor season?
Jorge Valdano made that case directly, saying Mbappe is "perhaps the best player in the world at this moment" and rejecting talk of him being a fraud. He scored 42 goals in 44 games, including 25 league goals and 15 in the Champions League, while Real Madrid still finished second in La Liga and went out in the quarter-finals.
Did Kylian Mbappe's goals actually help Real Madrid win trophies this season?
Not enough. Mbappe scored 42 goals in 44 games, with 25 in La Liga and 15 in the Champions League, but Real Madrid still finished 2nd in La Liga with 86 points and were eliminated 6-4 on aggregate by Bayern München in the quarter-finals.
Why are some people blaming Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid's problems?
That criticism is part of a wider tension around Real Madrid's season, but Valdano pushed back hard. He said it is "abuse" to place responsibility for everything good at Paris Saint Germain and everything bad at Real Madrid on Mbappe, who was the top scorer in the championship.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
