By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
French superstar Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, 25 October 2026.
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 41st minute with a stroke of luck. Yan Diomande put a low cross into the area, and Gerard Martin’s clearance ricocheted off the Frenchman into the net.
Both teams had created chances but the game really opened up in the period between Mbappe’s opener and the interval, with Mbappe hitting the post and Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal side-footing wide from close range at the other end.
There was controversy before Raphinha’s equaliser, with Joao Cancelo not punished for putting his studs into Diomande’s calf.
Raphinha had equalised for Barça in the second-half but Mbappé’s late strike secured all three points for Madrid and put them just three points behind their rivals at the top of LaLiga. It also handed Barça their first league defeat of the season.
Mbappé’s match-winning brace comes a day before the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, he has the numbers to make a compelling Ballon d’Or case.
At 27, the French superstar scored 42 goals in 44 appearances for Real, establishing himself as one of the season’s most prolific attackers.
His tally included 25 goals in LaLiga and 15 in the UEFA Champions League, finishing as the leading scorer in both competitions.
Mbappé has also become the 24th player to reach a century of goals for Spain’s most successful club and the fourth-fastest, joining the likes of Alfredo di Stéfano, Raúl and Christiano Ronaldo who sits top of the rankings with 450 goals in 438 matches.