Real Madrid Always Struggle to Win When Kylian Mbappe Doesn’t Score

On Nov 11, 2025

Real Madrid have a problem. A big one.

They just dropped points at Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano, failing to score for the second consecutive match. Before that, Liverpool shut them out 1-0. The pattern? Kylian Mbappé didn’t score in either game.

Coincidence? Not even close.

The Mbappé Dependency Crisis

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Real Madrid are dangerously reliant on one man to put the ball in the net. When Mbappé scores, they’re nearly unstoppable. When he doesn’t, they look ordinary.

The stats don’t lie:

Real Madrid’s record when Mbappé scores: 38 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats

Real Madrid’s record when Mbappé doesn’t score: 14 wins, 4 draws, 13 defeats

Read that again. They lose almost as many games as they win when their star forward goes quiet. For a club like Real Madrid, that’s borderline catastrophic.

This Season’s Drought

In the 2025-26 season, Mbappé has been blanked in just four matches:

2-1 win vs Mallorca
1-0 win vs Juventus (home)
1-0 loss vs Liverpool
0-0 draw vs Rayo Vallecano

Add the Club World Cup, and it’s six games without an Mbappé goal—including that brutal 4-0 semi-final hammering by PSG.

Three of those six matches? No goals scored by the entire team. That’s not a slump. That’s a structural problem.

The Numbers Paint a Grim Picture

Since Mbappé joined Real Madrid, they’ve played 31 matches where he didn’t score. In those games, the team has managed 44 goals from other players.

Sounds okay, right? Wrong.

Break it down per match and you’re looking at 1.4 goals per game without Mbappé scoring—barely enough to win consistently at the highest level.

Here’s who’s picking up the slack:

Real Madrid Goalscorers in Matches Without Mbappé Goals

Player	Goals
Vinícius Júnior	13
Jude Bellingham	7
Rodrygo	5
Fede Valverde	3
Brahim Díaz	3
Luka Modrić	3
Arda Güler	3
Eduardo Camavinga	2
Antonio Rüdiger	2
Aurélien Tchouaméni	1
Gonzalo	1
Lucas Vázquez	1

Vinícius leads with 13, but most came last season. This year? He’s been strangely quiet when Mbappé’s not delivering.

What’s Wrong with Vinícius?

Here’s where it gets interesting. Vinícius Júnior was Real Madrid’s main man before Mbappé arrived. He scored goals, created chances, and carried the attack when needed.

Now? His numbers have dropped off a cliff since Mbappé’s arrival.

Is it a tactical clash? Are they occupying the same spaces? Is Vinícius deferring too much to his new superstar teammate?

Whatever the reason, Real Madrid can’t afford to have both their best attackers going cold at the same time. Yet that’s exactly what’s happening.

Bellingham’s Disappearing Act

Jude Bellingham exploded onto the scene in his first season at Madrid, scoring crucial goals and playing like a seasoned veteran at just 20 years old.

The 2024-25 season? Much quieter. The goals dried up. The magic faded.

Xabi Alonso is trying to reignite that spark, but it’s not coming easy. Bellingham contributed the winner against Juventus in the Champions League—one of the few times someone stepped up when Mbappé didn’t score. But those moments are too rare.

Real Madrid needs the Bellingham from his first season back. Desperately.

The Xabi Alonso Challenge

Xabi Alonso inherited a team built around multiple goal threats. Now he’s managing a team that lives and dies by one man’s form.

That’s not a sustainable model.

Great teams have multiple attackers who can hurt you. Manchester City have Haaland, but also Foden, Grealish, and Bernardo Silva chipping in. Liverpool spread goals across Salah, Díaz, Gakpo, and Núñez. Arsenal get contributions from Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, and Jesus.

Real Madrid? It’s Mbappé or bust.

The Liverpool and Rayo Reality Check

The back-to-back failures against Liverpool and Rayo Vallecano exposed this weakness brutally.

Against Liverpool, Real Madrid created chances but couldn’t finish. Mbappé was marked out of the game, and nobody else could break through. Final score: 1-0 loss.

Against Rayo, it was even worse. Not only did they fail to score, they barely threatened. Zero goals. Zero inspiration. Zero answers when Mbappé couldn’t deliver.

For a club competing for La Liga and Champions League titles, that’s unacceptable.

What About Last Season?

This isn’t a new problem. Under Carlo Ancelotti last season, the pattern was already visible:

In matches where Mbappé didn’t score: 14 wins, 4 draws, 13 defeats

That’s a 45% win rate. Real Madrid’s overall win rate is usually around 70-75%. The drop-off is massive.

The warning signs were there. Nobody acted on them.

The Solution: Shared Responsibility

Real Madrid needs to solve this, and fast. Here’s how:

1. Unlock Vinícius Again

Get him back to his pre-Mbappé form. Whether that means adjusting tactics, giving him more freedom, or changing his role—figure it out.

2. Revive Bellingham’s Scoring Touch

The kid scored 23 goals in his first season. He’s got it in him. Create opportunities for him to get into dangerous positions like he did under Ancelotti.

3. More from Rodrygo

Five goals in 31 matches without Mbappé scoring? That’s not enough from a player of his quality. He needs to step up.

4. Midfield Contributions

Valverde, Camavinga, and Tchouaméni combining for just six goals in those 31 matches is criminal. Modern midfielders need to contribute more.

5. Set Piece Threats

Rüdiger has scored just twice. Real Madrid should be more dangerous from corners and free kicks.

The Broader Issue

This dependency on Mbappé reflects a deeper problem: Real Madrid’s attack has become too predictable.

Teams know the game plan. Mark Mbappé tightly, limit his space, and you’ve got a great chance of shutting Madrid down. When was the last time an opponent worried equally about Vinícius, Bellingham, AND Mbappé?

The best attacks keep defenders guessing. Right now, there’s no mystery.

What Happens Next?

Real Madrid’s next few matches will be telling. Can they find goals without Mbappé carrying them? Can Vinícius rediscover his edge? Will Bellingham start delivering again?

If not, this dependency will cost them titles. You can’t win La Liga or the Champions League with one reliable goal scorer. History proves it.

Look at Madrid’s glory years under Zidane and Ancelotti. They had Ronaldo, yes—but also Benzema, Bale, Modrić, Ramos, and others chipping in. Everyone contributed.

That balance is missing now.

The Bottom Line

Real Madrid’s record speaks for itself:

With Mbappé scoring: 38-2-4 (elite level)
Without Mbappé scoring: 14-4-13 (mid-table team)

That’s not sustainable. That’s not championship football. That’s playing with fire.

Xabi Alonso needs to find solutions. Vinícius needs to wake up. Bellingham needs to rediscover his magic. The midfielders need to contribute more.

Because right now, when Kylian Mbappé doesn’t score, Real Madrid don’t win. And that’s a problem that could derail their entire season.