Highly anticipated during PSG’s Champions League quarter-final return on the FC Barcelona pitch on Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé was not the most prominent Parisian but he immediately allowed himself to end the match with a double! While the score was 2-1 for PSG, the captain of the Blues converted a penalty on the hour mark before finishing closely at the very end of the match (1-4). At 25 years old and with 71 Champions League matches played, Kylian Mbappé now has an impressive record of 48 goals. But where does the Parisian striker stand compared to other references in the history of the competition, in Europe and in France?
In history
Since Tuesday, Kylian Mbappé has joined the top 10 of the best scorers in the Champions League. In a ranking dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and his former teammate Lionel Messi, most of the players ahead of him are retired or no longer able to compete. During the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund, Kylian Mbappé has the opportunity to climb one or more ranks in this top 10. He is in fact only one goal behind Alfredo Di Stefano, 9th, and two goals by Thierry Henry, 8th.
The top scorers in the history of the Champions League (C1):
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 140 goals (183 matches)
2. Lionel Messi: 129 (163)
3. Robert Lewandowski: 94 (120)
4. Karim Benzema: 90 (152)
5. Raúl: 71 (141)
6. Ruud van Nisterlrooy: 56 (73)
7. Thomas Müller: 54 (149)
8. Thierry Henry: 50 (112)
9. Alfredo Di Stefano 49 (58)
10. Kylian Mbappé: 48 (71)
–. Andryi Shevchenko: 48 (100)
–. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 48 (124)
Among French players
Already 3rd top French scorer in the history of the C1 before this 2023/2024 campaign, the Parisian striker is attacking Thierry Henry, 2nd, who has 50 goals, 2 more than Kylian Mbappé. The leader, Karim Benzema, is still far away (90 goals). If we focus on the knockout phase, KM7 is already 2nd (20 goals). Author of 3 goals in the round of 16 and a double on Tuesday, he can still get closer to the historic French leader, Karim Benzema still (34 units).
The best French scorers in C1:
1. Karim Benzema: 90
2. Thierry Henry: 50
3. Kylian Mbappé: 48
4. Antoine Griezmann: 36
5. David Trezeguet: 29
6. Olivier Giroud: 24
7. Nicolas Anelka: 20
8. Franck Ribéry: 18
9. Kingsley Coman: 16
10. Sylvain Wiltord: 15
The top French scorers in C1 (knockout phase):
1. Karim Benzema: 34
2. Kylian Mbappé: 20
3. Thierry Henry: 12
4. Antoine Griezmann: 8
–. Zinédine Zidane: 8
6. Franck Ribéry: 6
–. David Trezeguet: 6
–. Sylvain Wiltord: 6
9. Kingsley Coman: 5
–. Ousmane Dembélé: 5
Among French club players
When we look at the goals scored in C1 for French clubs, it is Kylian Mbappé who is at the top. He had already been there for a while and is increasing his lead. The podium is completed by two ex-Parisians: the Uruguayan Edinson Cavani and the Brazilian Neymar. In the knockout phase, it is also Kylian Mbappé who dominates but the identity of those who follow him changes: they are the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the French Sylvain Wiltord.
The top scorers for French clubs in C1:
1. Kylian Mbappé (Monaco, PSG): 48
2. Edinson Cavani (PSG): 30
3. Neymar (PSG): 22
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG): 20
5. Juninho (OL): 18
6. Angel Di Maria (PSG): 14
7. Karim Benzema (OL): 12
–. Sylvain Wiltord (Bordeaux, OL): 12
9. Sidney Govou (OL): 10
10. 6 players: 9
The top scorers for French clubs in C1 (knockout phase):
1. Kylian Mbappé (Monaco, PSG): 20
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG): 6
–. Sylvain Wiltord (OL): 6
4. Edinson Cavani (PSG): 5
–. Juninho (OL): 5
–. Marquinhos (PSG): 5
–. Fernando Morientes (Monaco): 5
8. Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG): 4
9. 7 players: 3
Among the PSG players
In the history of PSG in C1, Kylian Mbappé and the players of the club from the QSI era monopolize the first places. The only pre-QSI player present is none other than George Weah, Ballon d’Or in 1995, and scorer 7 times in the Champions League with PSG.
PSG’s top scorers in C1:
1. Kylian Mbappé: 42 goals
2. Edinson Cavani: 30
3. Neymar: 22
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 20
5. Angel Di María: 14
6. Marquinhos: 9
–. Lionel Messi: 9
8. Ezequiel Lavezzi: 7
–. George Weah: 7
10. Blaise Matuidi: 6
PSG’s top scorers in C1 (knockout phase):
1. Kylian Mbappé: 14
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 6
3. Edinson Cavani: 5
–. Marquinhos: 5
5. Ezequiel Lavezzi: 4
6. Juan Bernat: 3
–. Angel Di Maria: 3
–. Javier Pastore: 3
–. Adrien Rabiot: 3
10. 4 players: 2
Kylian Mbappé’s favorite victims
Since the double scored on the Montjuïc pitch, it is FC Barcelona which has become the striker’s favorite victim in the Champions League. This is the only club against whom he has scored 6 goals on the European scene. Note that its 3rd favorite victim is none other than Borussia Dortmund (4 goals, tied with Juventus) while PSG will meet the German club in the semi-finals of the Champions League in a few days.
Who did Kylian Mbappé score against in C1?
6 goals against FC Barcelona
5 against Club Brugge
4 against Borussia Dortmund and Juventus
3 against Bayern Munich, Maccabi Haifa, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad
2 against Celtic, Red Star Belgrade, Istanbul Basaksehir
1 against Benfica, Galatasaray, Liverpool, Manchester United, AC Milan, Newcastle United, RB Leipzig, Anderlecht
