Mbappe faces Real Madrid question after breaking PSG scoring record

Robin Bairner

• 4 Mar 2023 17:42 CST
• 3 min read

Kylian Mbappe became PSG’s all-time record scorer on Saturday when he netted his 201st goal for the club in a 4-2 Ligue 1 win over Nantes.

Mbappe equalled the record by scoring twice against Marseille last weekend and was clearly eager to surpass Edinson Cavani’s mark of 200 goals at Parc des Princes.

He ultimately did so in stoppage-time at the end of the match as he pivoted in the box to fire into the bottom corner of the net.

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His landmark goal arrived less than a year after performing a spectacular transfer U-turn by turning down Real Madrid to sign a new two-year deal with PSG, but the short-term nature of his contract has done little to quell rumours that the 24-year-old will one day wind up at the Bernabeu.

Indeed, there are suggestions that he could depart the club this summer for a huge fee and these rumours have naturally sparked curiosity as to where he will be playing his future in the long term with the expectation that he will one day turn out for Real Madrid.

Speaking after his history-making goal to Canal+, he said: “I play to write history. I've always said that I wanted to write history in France, in the capital, in my country, in my city. I'm doing it, it's beautiful, but there's still a long way to go. It's a personal accomplishment, but I also came for collective accomplishments.”

MORE: How Mbappe's U-turn changed Real Madrid's transfer strategy

Champions League not key to Mbappe

Naturally, the question of PSG’s persistent failures in the Champions League came up, but Mbappe batted these away as the Parisians prepare for a last-16 second-leg trip to Bayern Munich in which they face the prospect of turning around a 1-0 deficit.

“I do not tie my fate to the Champions League. If that were the case, and I don't disrespect the club, I would already be miles away. I'm fine here,” he said.

Mbappe was not fit to start the first leg of that encounter but after coming on produced a dramatic change in the flow of the match, and PSG are hopeful that his presence on Wednesday will swing the tie in their favour.