Many of Cristiano Ronaldo’s records seem destined to remain unbroken for years into the future, if not forever.
Scoring the most official goals in the history of football, the most international goals and the most times for Real Madrid are among three of his achievements that will, at the very least, last well into his retirement.
Yet this is not the case when it comes to the Portuguese’s record for the most goals in a European Cup/Champions League season. Ronaldo’s mark of 17, set for Madrid in 2013-14, is under threat this campaign from one his successors at the club: Kylian Mbappe (and, to a lesser extent, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane).
Mbappe has been in sensational form in the competition this season, finding the net 14 times so far to put him within touching distance of Ronaldo’s record. Kane, meanwhile, is on 11 goals.
So, will the record fall? How does Mbappe’s trajectory in 2025-26 compare to Ronaldo’s 12 years ago? And what are the other best individual scoring campaigns in the competition’s 70-year history?
The Athletic takes a look.