Kylian Mbappé may well end the season with the Pichichi Trophy for La Liga’s top scorer, making it two in a row since he moved to Spain in the summer of 2024.

No player since the great Mario Kempes in the late ‘70s has claimed back-to-back top scorer awards in his first two seasons in the league. Mbappé is also the current leading scorer in this season’s Champions League with 15—the highest tally ever by a player not named Cristiano Ronaldo.

In exactly 100 games as a Real Madrid player, Mbappé has 85 goals. Looking at the numbers alone, it is, objectively, a stunning return.

And yet, there are very few who would classify Mbappé’s time at Madrid so far as anything other than a failure.

Mbappe at Madrid Just Isn’t Working

Mbappé has brought goals and disharmony to Madrid. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The player with the biggest salary in European football has not won a major trophy in his two years at the Bernabéu.…