After a slow start in a white shirt, Kylian Mbappé is finally giving Robert Lewandowski some competition in La Liga's scoring race.

The race for the La Liga top scorer award is intensifying. Kylian Mbappé's recent form, exemplified by his hat-trick against Las Palmas, has significantly narrowed the gap between himself and Robert Lewandowski.

Rodrygo has added to his scoring streak with Real Madrid but the Spanish powerhouse didn’t get all the goals it needed to finish high enough in the league phase of the Champions League and avoid a possible encounter with Manchester City in the playoffs.

At the start of the 2024-25 season, the idea of a forward trident consisting of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha seemed like an unlikely combination. It did not appear to have the

Mbappe reached 12 league goals with his brace, becoming the league's 2nd top-scorer behind Lewandowski, with Brahim and Rodrygo also on target

After scoring a brace from the penalty spot against Benfica, FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski achieved milestones previously set by Cristiano Ronaldo and the iconic MSN trio in the Champions League.

SPORT brings you all the latest as the Europa League’s final round of league phase came to a thrilling end tonight. Manchester United and Tottenham both sealed their place in the last 16

Mbappe's recent surge in form has coincided with Vinicius' absence, first through injury and then a suspension following his red card against Valencia in january. But with Vinicius set to return for the trip to Espanyol, the prospect of a strong partnership between the two could elevate Madrid to another level.

Viktor Gyokeres was the top scorer of 2024, ending the calendar year on an absolutely ridiculous 52 goals. Staying at Sporting for now, Gyokeres is expected to be in the running again in 2025, though Erling Haaland might want his crown back and Kylian Mbappe has started the year well. The criteria: All club goals in all competitions for clubs in Europe’s top 10 leagues. Minutes per goal is your tie-breaker when players are level on goals scored, which obviously a lot of them are at this time.   10) Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) – 6 goals He’s 36 and has scored a frankly ludicrous 29 goals this season, including nine in the Champions League league stage. Barcelona could afford to give him just half an hour v Valencia and still win 7-1.   9) Alexander Isak (Newcastle) – 6 goals Two more goals for the Premier League’s in-form striker in a come-from-behind win at Southampton send him charging up the list.   8) Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth) – 6 goals Scored his second hat-trick of the season against Newcastle United as he thrives in the N0. 10 role.   7) Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord) – 6 goals Will remember his Champions League brace in a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich for a long time. Might not talk so much about the goal he scored this week in a 6-1 defeat at Lille.   6) Rodrygo (Real Madrid) – 7 goals Has scored twice in both Real Madrid’s Champions League games this year, which definitely helps.   5) Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting) – 7 goals So 2024 was no fluke; 2025 has already featured his fourth hat-trick of the season and goals in four different competitions. It’s little wonder Manchester United are among those clubs desperate to sign him.   4) Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) – 8 goals Mbappe is finally playing at a world-class level for the European champions. The France captain has six goals in his last four matches.   3) Lautaro Martinez (Inter) – 8 goals Four goals in two Champions League appearances – including a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Monaco – will carry you a long way this early in the year.   2) Youssef En-Nesryi (Fenerbahce) – 8 goals Former Sevilla striker and West Ham target En-Nesryi is thriving under Jose Mourinho in Turkey, scoring four goals in the Europa League league stage.   1) Ousmane Dembele (PSG) – 8 goals Four goals in two Champions League appearances – including a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Stuttgart – will carry you a long way this early in the year.

Be it Man City's comeback, Dembélé's masterclass, or Arsenal watching Watkins, the first-ever final day of a Champions League league phase delivered plenty of drama.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at home earlier against Villarreal, while Barcelona, third, trailed Los Blancos by 10 points before hosting Valencia on Sunday. Mbappe has hit his devastating best in recent weeks, after struggling for consistency following his summer switch from Paris Saint-Germain.

Kylian Mbappe continued his rich vein of form with a hat-trick on Saturday to power Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Valladolid and a four-point lead at the top of La Liga.