Not just Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé ties legend Thierry Henry’s goalscoring record
Kylian Mbappé made headlines over the weekend by matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s legendary goalscoring mark at Real Madrid, capping off a historic 2025. However, another milestone flew somewhat under the radar, as the French star also tied a long-standing record held by compatriot and icon Thierry Henry.
Real Madrid hosted Sevilla to close out the calendar year, with Mbappé needing one goal to match Cristiano Ronaldo as the club’s top scorer in a single calendar year, at 59 goals. By converting a penalty in the 86th minute, Mbappé not only equaled the Portuguese star’s mark, but also reached a goalscoring milestone previously owned by another French legend.
On Saturday, Mbappé drew level with Thierry Henry as the second-highest French goalscorer in soccer history, reaching 411 career goals. The former Arsenal and Barcelona star had held that mark since retiring in 2014, and Mbappé has now matched it with his strike against Sevilla.
Since making his professional debut in 2015, Mbappé has built a reputation as one of the game’s most prolific finishers, scoring 256 goals for Paris Saint-Germain, 73 for Real Madrid, 27 for AS Monaco, and 55 for the France national team, totaling 411. Across competitions, Ligue 1 accounts for 191 of those goals, followed by the Champions League with 64 and La Liga with 49.
Fourth place on the all-time French scoring list has long been held by André-Pierre Gignac. While the veteran striker remains active and a club icon at Tigres UANL, his total of 358 goals now sits well behind Mbappé, and at 40 years old, it is unlikely he will close that gap.
At the top of the rankings sits Karim Benzema, who has scored 509 goals across his career and continues to add to his tally at Al Ittihad. Still, after turning 27 on December 20, Mbappé has time firmly on his side, and at his current pace, he appears well positioned to eventually challenge that mark, and potentially climb into the top 10 goalscorers in football history.
Mbappe already surpassed Henry with Les Bleus
A World Cup winner in 1998, EURO 2000 champion, Champions League winner, and two-time Golden Boot recipient, Thierry Henry cemented his legacy as one of France’s greatest-ever forwards. Yet Mbappé, still in the prime of his career, is steadily rewriting the national team’s record book.
In 2025, during the UEFA 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, Mbappé surpassed Henry to become France’s second-highest scorer with 51 goals. Now sitting at 55, the Real Madrid star has only Olivier Giroud, who leads with 57, directly in his sights as he closes in on the all-time Les Bleus scoring record.