Cristiano Ronaldo 2nd
©TM/IMAGO
Real Madrid kickstarted their LaLiga campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 win against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu. After arriving from Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso endured a difficult start to his tenure at Los Blancos as they were thrashed 4-0 by PSG in the semi-final of the Club World Cup. Alonso was identified as the preferred replacement for Carlo Ancelotti with his remit to establish Madrid as the dominant force in Spanish football.
Barcelona firmly had the ascendancy last season with Hansi Flick’s men winning all four El Clasico’s last season to collect every domestic trophy. Spain’s two biggest clubs both began their LaLiga campaign with victories with Kylian Mbappé the matchwinner for Madrid. The French superstar converted from the penalty spot to bring up his 50th goal contribution for Madrid since joining from PSG last summer. Using Transfermarkt data, we’ve analysed which players have reached that milestone for Madrid in the fewest games across history.
Fewest games to reach 50 goal contributions for Real Madrid
The Osasuna game was Mbappe’s 60th in the famous white shirt and that ranks him just 13th for players to reach 50 goal contributions for Madrid. The 26-year-old has scored 45 goals for the Madristas – Mbappe broke the record for most goals in a debut Madrid season – with the Frenchman registering five assists. As the graphic below illustrates, Ferenc Puskás holds the record after reaching 50 goal contributions in just 42 games.
The legendary Hungarian is widely regarded as one of the greatest Madrid players of his generation, representing the club between 1958 and 1966. Cristiano Ronaldo ranks second with the Portugal captain needing just 44 games to reach the 50 goal contribution landmark. Alberto Di Stefano is widely regarded as Madrid’s greatest ever player and he ranks eighth, one place ahead of Gareth Bale.
