Kylian Mbappe showed the world he came to play at Real Madrid after he scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win against arch-rivals Manchester City.
The Champions’ League Cup holders have now progressed to the round of 16 in the prestigious competition.
While addressing the press at the end of the match, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had only great things to say about the young forward. He believes he could reach or even surpass Christiano Ronaldo, who is still Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer with 451 goals in 438 games for the 15-time Champions League winners.
“He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano’s level,” Ancelotti told a news conference.
“Everyone was waiting for this hat trick from him and it has finally arrived. But Mbappé is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality which is remarkable.”
Mbappe has had ups and downs as he tries to adjust to his new life in Madrid. The defending champions would face Bayer Leverkusen or city rivals Atlético Madrid, depending on Friday’s draw.
“It’s not positive at all having to go through the knock-out because we had to play 10 games to get to the last 16,” Ancelotti said.
“We’re not coming out of a difficult period, we’re entering one because this is when the real season starts. There is no way to stop, to rest. But on an emotional level, sure, this tie has been good for us. Let’s keep rolling.”
