Kylian Mbappé after first Real Madrid hat trick: Title means more

Kylian Mbappé said he’s more concerned about Real Madrid winning the league than finishing as LaLiga’s top scorer after grabbing his first hat trick for the club in their 3-0 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 30th minute — after a smart one-two with Jude Bellingham — before adding a second goal in the 57th minute and then converting a penalty in added time.

The result left Madrid top of the LaLiga table on 49 points, four points clear of second-placed Atlético Madrid, who drew 1-1 with Villarreal earlier on Saturday.

“I’m happy with the hat trick, but I’m more happy with the win,” Mbappé told Real Madrid TV. “It was very important to win today. After Atleti’s result, there was more pressure.”

Mbappé has now scored 15 league goals this season — 22 in all competitions — and is on a red-hot streak of eight goals in his last five games.

Speaking earlier this week, teammates Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo said they wanted to ensure Mbappé ended the season as Spain’s leading goal scorer, or Pichichi.

“Rodrygo and I are going to do all that we can for Mbappé to be top scorer in every competition, because that’s why he came here,” Vinícius said.

“That’s nice, but I could say I need to help them too,” Mbappé responded on Saturday after his treble. “We all want the team to win. If I’m top scorer, great — I’ve done it a lot of times in my career — but winning the league is the most important thing for me.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti called Mbappé “the best centre-forward in the world” last weekend.

“I said the first day here that I can play in all three positions in attack,” Mbappé said, when asked about playing centrally.

“My adaptation is over for sure. I feel good, with my movements, and my teammates, you can see it on the pitch.”

“[Mbappé] has been playing well for a while,” Ancelotti said in his post-match news conference. “He scored three goals for the first time. He’s contributing a lot. He found his rhythm a couple of months ago. It’s a plus for us. He’s a player who has a lot of quality.”