Mbappé's 'I Prefer Atletico' Also Follows a Dangerous Pattern
Kylian Mbappé has punished other Spanish clubs in the UCL Round of 16. EFE
Kylian Mbappé faces the Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid with a peculiar record: his last goals in this stage have also come against Spanish teams. Now, he will seek to score wearing Real Madrid's jersey—the very team he once tormented in past encounters.
"I Prefer Atletico" and a Familiar Challenge
"I prefer Atletico because that way we don’t have to travel," Kylian Mbappé openly admitted after eliminating Manchester City, while awaiting his next Champions League opponent—a 50-50 draw between Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. Luck decided on a Madrid derby, setting up a first-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabéu. Another major challenge awaits the Frenchman as he looks to make his first Champions League season with Real Madrid truly unforgettable. Curiously, fate has handed him yet another showdown against a Spanish side, continuing a trend from previous seasons—only now, he is on the other side.
Winning the Champions League has long eluded Mbappé despite years of trying with PSG. Beyond fulfilling a childhood dream and gaining benefits at every level, his move to Real Madrid reflects his obsession with lifting Europe's most prestigious club trophy. For a player who has already won a World Cup, this is the final achievement he needs to unlock in his first attempt as a Madridista.
Mbappé in the UCL Round of 16
To date, Kylian Mbappé has played 16 Champions League Round of 16 matches throughout his career. From his teenage years with Monaco to his current 25-year-old self, who faced Real Sociedad last season, his performances have been a mix of highs and lows.
His first knockout round experience came in the 2016-17 season with Monaco, when he helped eliminate Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City after a 5-3 loss in the first leg and a 3-1 home victory. The young Mbappé scored in both games.
He went goalless in his first Round of 16 clash against Real Madrid with PSG in 2018-19, where the Spanish side knocked out the Parisians. His impact was also limited against Manchester United the following season, where he scored in the first leg at Old Trafford and provided an assist in the second leg in Paris, though PSG were eliminated. In the 2019-20 season, his contribution was minimal: one assist in the first leg against Dortmund, and he was benched in the second leg, where PSG secured their place in the next round.
From the 2020-21 season onwards, his Round of 16 stats improved. He dismantled Barcelona almost single-handedly, scoring a hat trick at Camp Nou (1-4) and adding another goal in the return leg (1-1), marking his first major exploits against Spanish clubs. The following season, in 2021-22, he nearly repeated the feat against Real Madrid. He secured a late winner in the first leg in Paris (1-0) and scored again in the return leg at the Bernabéu, but Karim Benzema’s hat trick ended PSG’s campaign. Mbappé even had two goals disallowed in that fixture.
However, he failed to score in the 2022-23 Round of 16 against a disciplined Bayern Munich that kept PSG goalless in the tie. Last season, in 2023-24, PSG faced Real Sociedad, and Mbappé was once again the key figure. He scored in the first leg (2-0) and was responsible for both goals in the return leg (1-2). In summary, Mbappé has netted 12 goals in the Champions League Round of 16—his last nine coming against Spanish clubs.
Mbappé's Best Champions League Campaigns
Kylian Mbappé is just one goal away from equaling his best-ever tally in a single Champions League season. The new format—with two extra group-stage matches and a playoff round against Manchester City—has already seen him play 10 games this campaign before even entering the Round of 16. The French forward has scored seven goals so far and now faces Atletico Madrid in the knockout stage.
Mbappé's Champions League Goals by Season:
- 8 goals in 10 games (PSG 2020-21)
- 8 goals in 12 games (PSG 2023-24)
- 7 goals in 8 games (PSG 2022-23)
- 7 goals in 10 games (Real Madrid 2024-25) *
- 6 goals in 9 games (Monaco 2016-17)
- 6 goals in 8 games (PSG 2021-22)
As he steps into this Round of 16 matchup against Atletico Madrid, the question remains: will Mbappé continue his trend of punishing Spanish teams, or will Atletico find a way to contain him?
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