Sports
Kylian Mbappé closes on Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid goal record, ‘among a chosen few’
Xabi Alonso said Kylian Mbappé is “on his way to making history at Real Madrid” as the star forward closes in on Cristiano Ronaldo‘s club record for most goals scored in a calendar year.
Mbappé’s brace in Madrid’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Athletic Club on Wednesday made it 55 goals for the club in 2025, just four short of Ronaldo’s 59-goal record, set in 2013.
Madrid have four games left this year, starting with hosting Celta Vigo at the Bernabéu on Sunday.
“Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid, just like Cristiano did,” Alonso said in a news conference on Saturday. “With his ambition, his statistics … he’s among a chosen few.
“Working with him on a daily basis is great. His desire to influence others, his contagious energy, is something he shares with Cristiano. There, I see similarities.”
Alonso refused to say which player he’d pick — Mbappé or former teammate Ronaldo — if he had to choose.
“Cristiano is Cristiano, and Kylian is Kylian,” Alonso said. “They’re both exceptional. We’re very lucky to have Kylian, and we have to make the most of it.”
Madrid began the weekend just a point behind rivals Barcelona at the top of the LaLiga table.
They go into the Celta game with no specialist right-back, after Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Dani Carvajal as a long-term absentee this week, with midfielder Fede Valverde likely to deputise.
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“We’ll have to assess what decision we take, but there are other options,” Alonso said. “Fede always puts the team first … I remember great games he’s had against Barça, Juve. He’s generous and wants to help the team.”
The victory in Bilbao relieved some pressure on Alonso, after Madrid’s three previous league games ended in draws.
“It was a good game, complete, an all-round [performance],” Alonso said. “Now we want to find consistency. We’ve have to be where we need to be in April or May.”
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has defended his team’s walkoff during the Africa Cup of Nations final, saying it was an emotional decision taken in the chaos of the moment.
Last Sunday, Senegal left the field in stoppage time when Morocco was awarded a penalty, just moments after a potential trophy-winning Senegal goal was ruled out.
“It was never my intention to go against the principles of the game I love so much,” Thiaw wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “I simply tried to protect my players from injustice. What some may perceive as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation. After deliberation, we decided to resume the match and go for the trophy.”
Sadio Mané persuaded the Senegal players back so Brahim Díaz could take Morocco’s penalty. Díaz’s effort was saved in the last action of normal time then Pape Guaye scored in extra time for Senegal to win 1-0.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino the next day slammed Senegal’s walkoff and the Moroccan Football Federation said it was pursuing legal action with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football because it “significantly impacted the normal flow of the match and the players’ performance.”
The decision to award the penalty led to fights around the field with rival players involved on the sideline while stewards battled with Senegalese behind one of the goals. Some fans managed to get onto the field where the fighting continued, and some were dragged away.
The Senegal walkoff ultimately led to a 15-minute stop in play, but there was still fighting ongoing when Brahim took his unsuccessful sport kick.
“We experienced an exceptional tournament with magnificent organization, which ended unfortunately in a dramatic fashion,” Thiaw said.
The Senegal Football Federation decried a lack of “fair play” from the Moroccan hosts before the final, adding to the Teranga Lions’ sense of injustice when their late goal was ruled out and the penalty was awarded against them.
“I apologize if I have offended anyone,” Thiaw said of his team’s walkoff, “but football lovers will understand that emotion is an integral part of this sport.”
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The National Football League has been inching closer and closer to an 18-game season, and if it were up to Robert Kraft, it would happen as soon as possible.
The New England Patriots owner sounded as if he was predicting the change could come sooner rather than later, while also saying that more international games could be on the horizon.
“We’re going to push like the Dickens now to make international more important with us. Every team will go to 18 [regular season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games. Every team every year will play one game overseas,” Kraft told Boston radio’s “The Sports Hub.”
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Owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots looks on prior to the NFL game between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Kraft said the changes would be “so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy.”
“Because we’re sort of getting near the top here with the coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 programs on television are NFL games. Think about that. It’s really amazing,” Kraft said. “And you look at the size of our crowds versus the other sports and it’s really, you know we had that Amazon game on Thursday a couple weeks ago. 31 million people streamed. So as long as we can keep growing revenue, we can keep long-term labor peace.”
A wide view of play in the first half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
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All 32 teams hve played at least one game overseasons, with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way at 14 contests.
The push for an 18-game season came upon the realization that adding a game to the end of the regular season would extend the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, meaning that the following day would be an off day for the majority of the workforce.
There have been numerous arguments to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, but there’s never been legitimate movement.
A detailed view of the Super Bowl LX logo on Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl 60 will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
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Teams played 14-game seasons from 1961 to 1977 and then 16 games until the 2020 season, implementing a 17th game in 2021.
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From Paige Bueckers in 2022 to JuJu Watkins last March, many of the world’s best female players are suffering serious knee injuries.
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