French forward Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid expressed pride at matching his 'idol's' Cristiano Ronaldo record of 59 goals in a calendar year. It happened on a special day for him—his birthday—and he celebrated the goal by imitating the Portuguese star. 'It was very important to win this match, end the year on a positive note, and it's incredible to have a first year like this. Matching my idol at Real Madrid is an honor,' he said. 'I wanted to give a shout-out to him because he has always been very kind to me and gave me a lot of advice on how to adapt to Real Madrid. I have a great relationship with him, he is my friend now, and I send him a greeting,' he added on Real Madrid TV. Mbappé highlighted the importance of the win against Sevilla, which puts Real Madrid just one point behind Barcelona before their eternal rival faces Villarreal. 'We know that in recent matches we have had difficulty winning in La Liga and playing well. Winning again and ending the year with a victory is very important. Now we need to rest on vacation with family, and we want to start the year by winning the first trophy of the season, the Spanish Super Cup,' he set as a goal. Finally, the French forward asked his teammates to show on the pitch the ambition they have after hearing whistles from the Madridista fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. 'I always say it's a dream to play a professional match on my birthday, and it's a dream to do it at Real Madrid. It's for him, for my childhood idol. We are going to give our all for this crest, and we have to prove on the field that it's not just words.'
