Soccer

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Mbappé: Real Madrid forward joins elite El Clásico list

Real Madrid saw out a narrow 2-1 victory over Barcelona on Sunday with another big goal from Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Mbappé: Real Madrid forward joins elite El Clásico list
Susana Vera
William Gittins
A journalist, soccer fanatic and Shrewsbury Town fan, Will’s love for the game has withstood countless playoff final losses. After graduating from the University of Liverpool he wrote for a number of British publications before joining AS USA in 2020. His work focuses on the Premier League, LaLiga, MLS, Liga MX and the global game.
Update:

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé continued his incredible 2025/26 form with a crucial goal against Barcelona on Sunday.

Xabi Alonso’s side went into the first El Clásico of the season with a two-point lead over Barcelona in the LaLiga standings. But Madrid had been humbled by Atletico Madrid last month and were yet to put in a statement performance under Alonso.

Mbappé and teammate Jude Bellingham proved decisive for Madrid, scoring the two goals in a 2-1 victory. For Mbappé, that’s now 16 goals in 13 appearance for Real Madrid this season, an incredible record from the Frenchman.

He extended his scoring streak against Barcelona, too, becoming only the third player this century to score in four consecutive El Clásico outings. He joins Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo on this illustrious list.

Fellow goalscorer Bellingham has also been in great form of late, following the disappointment of being excluded from England’s October internationals. Bellingham scored a decisive goal in a 1-0 Champions League win over Juventus midweek and followed that up with a goal and an assist against Barcelona.

Still only 22 years old, Bellingham became the youngest player to score and assist in El Clasico in the 21st century. Speaking after the game, Alonso paid tribute to the Englishman’s performance.

“He was good both on the day against Juve and today, and even at Getafe. He had three very good matches, and we knew before the last break that he needed minutes to get going and get some feeling. He did better than expected after the break. He’s a player who really knows how to transmit and engage. He’s had some very good matches.”

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