Kylian Mbappe etched his name into Champions League history on Tuesday night, reaching a milestone only previously bettered by Lionel Messi during Real Madrid’s 3-2 win over Atalanta.
The France captain opened the scoring with a clever finish in the 10th minute, marking his 12th goal for the club since his summer move, before a muscle strain forced him off just before the half-hour mark.
Softfootball gathers that Madrid rallied without him, with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior securing the win in the second half.
According to research, Mbappe reached his 50th Champions League goal at the age of 25 years and 356 days, making him the second-youngest player ever to hit that mark, behind only Messi, who achieved the feat at 24 years and 284 days back in 2012.
The Frenchman also became the fourth-fastest player to reach 50 goals in the competition, needing just 79 appearances, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy, Messi, and Robert Lewandowski.
He also surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s pace to the milestone, though he still has a long way to go before catching Ronaldo’s all-time record of 140 Champions League goals.
Erling Haaland, meanwhile, remains another player closing in on Messi’s mark, sitting on 46 goals in 44 appearances.
