Kylian Mbappé added his name to another line in the record books Saturday, tying Cristiano Ronaldo for the most goals by a Real Madrid player in a calendar year.

The milestone was about to escape the France striker until he converted a penalty kick with four minutes left to complete a 2-0 win over 10-man Sevilla in Madrid’s final game of the year.

He marked the achievement, which came on his 27th birthday, with a subdued version of Ronaldo’s trademark “Siu” goal celebration before blowing a kiss at the television cameras.

“A special day,” Mbappé said. “We won the game, which was important — that was the objective. With the record, it’s incredible in my first year doing what Cristiano did, the best player in Real Madrid’s history, a role model in world football.

“It’s an honor for me. He’s always been affectionate to me, talking to me about Madrid and how to adapt. I’m very happy now to score goals for Real Madrid.

“[The celebration] was for him. I have my own usually, but I wanted to share it with him today. He was my idol as a kid, I have a good relationship with him, and he’s my friend now.”

The former Paris Saint-Germain star, who joined Madrid in summer 2024, has scored 29 times for Madrid this season, putting him into a tie with Bayern Munich‘s Harry Kane for most goals by a player from a club in Europe’s top five leagues.

“I congratulate him, and I encourage him to start 2026 well,” Madrid boss Xabi Alonso said of Mbappé, who also has a LaLiga-leading 18 goals this season.

Jude Bellingham scored with a header in the 38th minute to give Madrid the lead on Saturday before Sevilla lost defender Marcão to a second booking for rash tackles with 20 minutes left.

The result was still in doubt until Mbappé converted his spot kick after Juanlu fouled Rodrygo in the area.

The win will do little to ease the pressure on Alonso, with the team underperforming despite three consecutive wins this week.

“We know the moment we’re in,” Alonso said. “We’re demanding and self-critical to play better, we know this isn’t our level and we want to improve. … The priority was to win, but obviously some things didn’t go as we wanted.”

Madrid sit a point behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona ahead of the Catalan club’s match with Villarreal on Sunday.

Information from ESPN’s Alex Kirkland, ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.

For someone who scores so many goals, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is not usually the most enthusiastic when it comes to celebrating them.

There has been the odd exception, such as when he marks hitting the back of the net by adopting the lotus position and appearing to enter a Zen state while sitting cross-legged on the field. But for the most part, the Norway international is an understated character who is happy to let his football do the talking for him.

Erling Haaland. That is all. 🤖 pic.twitter.com/Jp0bMFAP3I

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 20, 2025

However, recently he has revived a classic goal celebration to add to his repertoire: The Robot.

He hit the celebration in the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Nov. 2, and he doubled down on Saturday when he scored the opener in the 3-0 win over West Ham United.

The celebration’s most famous foray from the breakdance mat to the football pitch came in 2006, when England striker Peter Crouch performed it in a pre-FIFA World Cup friendly win over Jamaica. It became his trademark, and Prince William even once asked Crouch to hit the move when the future king visited England’s training ground.

Crouch is keen to remind everyone who the true robo-GOAT is. After that Bournemouth game, the former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur forward posted on social media: “I walked so they could run.”

Now, Haaland has picked up the mantle. Given his remorseless quest for goals is like that of The Terminator, it seems rather fitting.

USC guard Rodney Rice will undergo surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season, the school announced Wednesday.

Rice has been sidelined with the injury since the Maui Invitational, missing the past five games.

“Rodney is an instrumental part of our team,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “He is a leader for us and has been the offensive spark that guided us through crucial games earlier this season. We will miss his energy on the court but know his leadership will still be crucial to our team’s success. We look forward to watching him attack his rehab and come back even stronger.”

A 6-foot-5 guard, Rice was one of the best transfers in the country through the first month of the season, averaging 20.3 points and 6.0 assists in six games. He enjoyed a breakout campaign at Maryland in 2024-25, putting up 13.8 points per game.

Rice is the second USC player to suffer a season-ending injury in recent weeks, with Amarion Dickerson expected to miss the next three to four months with a hip injury.

With the injury issues, the Trojans have added former Robert Morris guard Kam Woods to the roster, the team announced Thursday. USC will be Woods’ sixth school in six years, and he is eligible to play immediately, the Trojans said. He averaged 14.9 points and 5.2 assists per game for the Colonials last season.

There is also growing optimism that Alijah Arenas, the son of Gilbert Arenas and a five-star recruit in the 2025 class, could return to play in January. Arenas suffered a knee injury in July, weeks after making his practice debut following an April car crash that left him hospitalized for nearly a week.

USC improved to 11-1 after defeating UTSA 97-70 on Wednesday night.