Kylian Mbappé's great Champions League games: Monaco breakthrough, Camp Nou hat-trick and four-goal heroics
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
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As Kylian Mbappé reaches 100 UEFA Champions League matches, we look back at some of his most impressive moments in the competition so far.
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Just over ten years on from making his debut in the UEFA Champions League as a fresh-faced, exciting teenage talent, Kylian Mbappé is in line to become the youngest player to reach 100 appearances in the competition if he features in Real Madrid's encounter with Roma on Wednesday.
To celebrate the landmark, we look back at a selection of the French star's most dazzling moments on Europe's elite stage. Which performance was your favourite?
Which Kylian Mbappé performance was your favourite?
21/02/2017: Man City 5-3 Monaco, round of 16 first leg
A star is born. After showing glimpses of his enormous potential in the group stage of the 2016/17 season, it was at the City of Manchester Stadium where an 18-year-old Mbappé truly introduced himself to the world.
He scored the first of his 71 Champions League goals with a cool finish into the top corner to put his side 2-1 up on the night and was a constant menace throughout, stretching the City back line with his frightening pace and going close to adding to his tally on a number of occasions. The first chapter of this magnificent tale had been written.
Reporters' memories
"I'd arranged an interview with former Monaco midfielder John Collins in late 2016 and he told me, 'This guy is predicted to be as good as Thierry Henry!'
"For that reason, when Monaco went to Manchester to face Pep Guardiola's City, I was agog with interest. How would he measure up against such a talented team?
"The answer was that a superstar was announced and this was one of the standout performances by a young striker in modern Champions League history. I was thrilled, John's prediction was confirmed – and Monaco eventually advanced because of their precocious, dashing, explosive young striker."
27/09/2017: Paris 3-0 Bayern München, group stage
Mbappé took no time at all to settle into his new surroundings after a big summer move to his home-town club of Paris and was in fine form in a convincing home win against Bayern.
Although Mbappé didn't score, he did create two of the three goals, laying on an assist for Edinson Cavani before twisting and turning to set up Neymar for his team's third as he showed he was more than ready to star alongside some of the biggest names in the game.
22/10/2019: Club Brugge 0-5 Paris, group stage
There was some surprise when Mbappé was named as a substitute against Club Brugge, but he made an extraordinary impact off the bench, scoring his first Champions League hat-trick and creating an assist within 22 blistering second-half minutes.
His first goal was a header on 61 minutes, and he squared for Mauro Icardi to convert moments later. Next, he rounded the goalkeeper to add his second, before slotting in left-footed to complete his treble late on in a devastating spell of top-class finishing.
Kylian Mbappé in the Champions League
Overall
Games: 99
Goals: 71
By club
Monaco: 9 games, 6 goals
Paris: 64 games, 42 goals
Real Madrid: 26 games, 23 goals
16/02/2021: Barcelona 1-4 Paris, round of 16 first leg
Mbappé became only the second player after Andriy Shevchenko to claim a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on an unforgettable evening in Catalonia.
It was Lionel Messi who gave the hosts the lead with a penalty, but from there it became the Mbappé show as he blasted in the equaliser from close range before firing in a second after the break and curling in a beauty after a rapid counterattack to cap things off.
07/04/2021: Bayern München 2-3 Paris, quarter-final first leg
Another iconic football venue, another occasion when Mbappé dominated on the big stage, with the Paris ace notching two goals in Munich.
He handed his side the perfect start in this quarter-final opener by fizzing a low first-time shot past Manuel Neuer just two and a half minutes into the match. And, after a topsy-turvy encounter, he settled matters on 68 minutes with a trademark near-post strike.
Reporters' memories
"As a reporter, you're always attuned to when Mbappé is on the ball. Rarely has a player incited such visceral excitement in the stands, while simultaneously stoking trepidation within the opposition.
"My abiding memories of him in the Champions League for Paris are his piercing runs through the inside-left channel, and invariably watching him wheel away in celebration – often imitating that trademark reverse finish he's so artfully mastered."
19/02/2025: Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (agg: 6-3), knockout phase play-off second leg
Mbappé's first Champions League treble for Real Madrid came as Los Blancos knocked out Manchester City with a scintillating second-leg display at the Bernabéu.
He showcased his wide range of finishing abilities, opening with a delicate lob over Ederson, then deceiving Joško Gvardiol with a delicious feint before smashing home, and finally brandishing a flourish of stepovers before curling in from just outside the box. Once more, a simply unstoppable performance.
26/11/2025: Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid, league phase
Not content with his four hat-tricks up to this point, Mbappé went one better last year by hitting four goals at Olympiacos, also recording the second-fastest treble in the competition's history with his first-half hat-trick timed at six minutes and 42 seconds.
A low strike, a header, a curled effort and a poacher's tap-in – this was Mbappé at his brilliant best packaged into one masterful display.