Kylian Mbappe just stopped short of matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s despicable offside record at Real Madrid after a nightmarish El Clasico performance.
In a one-sided El Clasico showdown at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, Barcelona overwhelmed Real Madrid with a stunning 4-0 victory, leaving the European champions searching for answers.
Robert Lewandowski led the charge with two goals, and Lamine Yamal and Raphinha contributed to complete the rout.
For Mbappe, it was a horrific introduction to the historic fixture, as he struggled all through to make an impact.
Despite his undeniable skill and goal-scoring prowess, the French forward was repeatedly caught offside, underscoring his difficult night against Barcelona’s organised defence.
Mbappe had two goals disallowed for offside, and in total, he was flagged offside a staggering eight times, unable to find the rhythm to break through Barcelona’s meticulously executed defensive line.
This performance brought Mbappe dangerously close to a record associated with one of Madrid’s all-time greats, Ronaldo.
During the 2013-14 season, the Portuguese was caught offside 22 times in his first 10 La Liga games, a statistic that Mbappe now approaches with his tally of 17 offsides in the current season, the highest of any player in Europe’s top leagues – surpassing players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton and Fiorentina’s Moise Kean, both with 16 offsides each.
Did You Know?
The record for the most offsides in a single game is a three-way tie at 10 offsides, held by Kevin Phillips (for Southampton against Wolves in 2004), Steven Savidan (for Valenciennes versus Sochaux in 2006), and Sergio Pellissier (for Chievo against Roma in 2010).
Although Mbappe came close with his eight offside calls against Barcelona, the 2018 World Cup winner fell just short of this dubious benchmark.
In his 14 appearances across all competitions for Madrid this season, Mbappe has notched eight goals and provided two assists.
He will look to make amends to his form when he travels to Mestalla over the weekend.
However, concerns are mounting that the fixture might be postponed due to heavy flooding in the Valencia area.
Read more: Guardiola Unsure When KDB Will Return
If the game proceeds, it presents a chance for Mbappé and Real Madrid to reset their campaign and return to winning form before hosting AC Milan in a Champions League clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on November 5.
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