Kylian Mbappé: a record-breaking season

With five goals in his last four appearances of the season, it’s perhaps only by witnessing the finish that we can even begin to understand the incredible goal-scoring achievements of Kylian Mbappé this season.

Symbolically, it was his goal against Brest that brought the curtain down on Paris Saint-Germain’s 2020-21 season. He had started his personal journey by scoring six goals in his first five matches – a rhythm who would maintain throughout the campaign.

That final goal of the term against Brest, means that the French world champion has now scored against 25 of the 26 teams he has played against in Ligue 1. The only exception being... Paris!

With no less than 27 goals scored in the league, our No.7 has taken out the Ligue 1 Golden Boot award for the third year in a row.

He has become the first player to achieve this feat since Jean-Pierre Papin, 19 years ago (5 Golden Boots between 1987 and 1992).

At the end of another stunning season, the 22-year-old was also honoured by his peers, as he was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year at the UNFP Trophies for the second time, after having been named the league's Best Young Player in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He equals the record jointly-held by Pedro Miguel Pauleta, Eden Hazard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic - the only players who have named the league’s best twice in a row.

"It's an immense pride, it's always the same feeling, the reward for the work done throughout the year. I thank my teammates, they are the ones who help you, who give you confidence and I thank the club too. It is a step further in the career, in my story, to leave my mark on this championship," he declared at the time.

And if Paris Saint-Germain has shone this year away from home, it is also reflected in the performances of Kylian Mbappé! He has scored 16 goals this season away from home in Ligue 1 in 16 matches played. Only three players have done better in the history of the championship: Edinson Cavani (19 goals with Paris in 2016-17), Josip Skoblar (18 goals with Marseille in 1970-71) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (17 goals with Paris in 2012-13).

And of course, when we’re talking about Kylian Mbappé we’re often talking about records too! So this year, the France international has again set a whole host of new records. First of all, Europe's second-top scorer behind Robert Lewandowski has scored no less than 42 goals this season in all competitions, a personal best after his 39 in 2018-19. He also provided 11 assists during the season... In total, Kylian Mbappé has scored or assisted a goal every 70 minutes this season in Rouge et Bleu!

He also became against the youngest player in history to reach the 100 goal mark in Ligue 1 at 22 years and 91 days against Lyon on March 21. It’s a record that extends across all of Europe, where only Lionel Messi (23 years and 149 days) and Wayne Rooney (24 years and 99 days) can compete in the 21st century!

Finally, the prodigy from Bondy also continued to assert himself on the biggest club stage of all. Against Istanbul Basaksehir last December, he became the youngest player in history to reach 20 Champions League goals at 21 years and 355 days. A hat-trick at the Camp Nou and a double at Bayern Munich later, he became (and still is) the youngest player to reach 25 goals at the age of 22 years and 80 days. A record taken from Lionel Messi, who had held it for eleven years (22 years and 286 days).

Finally, with an impressive 132 goals since his very first game in the capital in September 2017, he has stormed into the club’s all-time top three scorers, with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156) and Edinson Cavani (200) ahead of him.