UEFA Champions League nights hold a special magic for Real Madrid, and what happened in Italy was no exception...

In a frantic, tension-filled match, the Whites sealed an epic 4–3 comeback victory over Roma, with Kylian Mbappé taking centre stage.

The French striker stepped up when his team needed him most to start turning the score around and scored a goal of immediate historic significance.

With his goal against Roma, Mbappé reached 72 goals in the UEFA Champions League and became the fifth-highest goalscorer of all time in the European competition.

Mbappé surpassed Raúl González’s record

With this new record, the Real Madrid forward surpassed the tally set by Raúl González, who until now held fifth place with 71 goals.

Mbappé, nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, broke into the top five at just 27 years of age and is now only 18 goals away from his next target: Karim Benzema.

The UEFA Champions League’s all-time top scorers:

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 140 goals

  2. Lionel Messi: 129 goals

  3. Robert Lewandowski: 107 goals

  4. Karim Benzema: 90 goals

  5. Kylian Mbappé: 72 goals

  6. Raúl González: 71 goals

Mbappé wants to make more history

Mbappé’s 72 goals are spread across his time at three clubs: 6 goals for AS Monaco, 42 goals for Paris Saint-Germain and 24 goals for Real Madrid.

However, the most striking aspect of this record is the precocity with which he has achieved it. At just 27 years of age, the French striker still has a long career ahead of him in European top-flight football.

With time to spare and a relentless scoring rate, Mbappé is making steady progress towards his goal of continuing to make history in world football.

Just this year, he became the all-time leading goalscorer in the World Cup with 22 goals.

Will he be able to achieve the same in the UEFA Champions League?