Mbappé Arrives at El Clásico in Red-Hot Form, But One Number Still Haunts Him: Just One Win in His Last Seven Against Barcelona

There's a number that has followed Kylian Mbappé for more than a year now, and it has nothing to do with goals: just one win in his first six clásicos wearing white. It sounds strange for a player who once scored three goals against Barcelona in a single night and still went home a loser. That's exactly what happened on May 11, 2025 at Montjuïc: Real Madrid went up 2-0, Mbappé finished with a hat trick (a penalty in the 5th minute, another goal in the 14th and the third in the 70th), and the final result was a resounding 4-3 for Barcelona. A paradox that sums up his recent history against the archrival pretty well.

Sunday, October 25, brings a new chance to change that storyline. Barcelona hosts Real Madrid at Camp Nou for Matchday 10 of LaLiga, with the Catalans sitting atop the table with a six-point cushion. Mbappé arrives in red-hot form: he scored twice in the 4-1 win over Sevilla and has now piled up nine goals in nine matchdays, just three behind Raphinha in the scoring charts.

A Tally That Started Uphill

Mbappé's record against Barcelona got off to a rough start and didn't improve all that quickly. Back in October 2024, Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabéu, with the Frenchman still adjusting to his surroundings and getting caught offside time and again. In January 2025, the Spanish Super Cup ended 5-2 for the Blaugrana despite Mbappé opening the scoring. In April, the Copa del Rey went the same way: 3-2 in extra time. Then came that 4-3 in May, perhaps the clearest summary of it all: doing your job up front isn't always enough.

The first taste of joy didn't arrive until October 2025, with a 2-1 win for Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Mbappé scored, although he also missed a penalty that Szczęsny saved. It turned out to be a one-off, not the start of a dominant run: Barcelona won the next two clásicos.

"One Is Enough for Me"

To understand how Mbappé experiences all of this, it's worth revisiting what he told AS in an interview in September 2026. There, he used a word that describes him well: obsession.

I don't expect to score three or four, one is enough for meKylian Mbappé

He also explained what scoring a goal means to him: "a joy, a feeling of fulfillment that you want to live forever." And he was honest about what not scoring does to him: "A game without scoring is tough," he said, though he made clear that frustration turns into motivation for the next match. Still, he was quick to clarify one thing: he doesn't see himself as selfish, pointing to his assist for the decisive goal against Elche, when he chose the pass over going for his own.

The Rival That Never Stayed Quiet

Barcelona arrives at this clásico in nearly perfect form: nine wins in nine matchdays, 27 points and 39 goals scored. Real Madrid has 21 points, with seven wins and two losses, and needs to close the gap before the deficit becomes worrisome. To make matters worse, José Mourinho won't be able to count on Vinícius Júnior, who is suspended, piling even more responsibility onto Mbappé's shoulders both to create and to finish.

Before this became unfinished business in Spain, Mbappé had already given Barcelona trouble while wearing PSG colors: a hat trick in the 4-1 win in the 2020-21 Champions League round of 16, plus two more goals in the 4-1 comeback in the 2023-24 quarterfinals. Six goals in four European matches, with a clearly favorable record. The contrast with his time in white is obvious, and that's exactly what gives this clásico an extra edge: the rival he once mastered in Europe has become the toughest test of his career since joining Real Madrid.

With nine goals in nine matchdays and his declared obsession with adding more, Mbappé has a new chance this Sunday to turn his personal numbers into the one thing still missing against Barcelona: a win.