Kylian Mbappe after his first Real Madrid hat-trick: The name means more

Kylian Mbappé said he was more concerned about Real winning the league than finishing as La Liga’s top scorer after grabbing his first hat-trick for the club in their 3-0 win at Real Valladolid on Saturday.

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 30th minute – after a smart one-two with Jude Bellingham – Before adding a second goal in the 57th minute and then converting a penalty in extra time.

The result left Madrid top of the La Liga table on 49 points, four points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who drew 1-1 with Villarreal earlier on Saturday.

“I’m happy with the hat-trick, but I’m more happy with the win,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV. “It was very important to win today. There was more pressure on Atleti after the result.”

Mbappé has scored 15 league goals this season – 22 in all competitions – and is on a hot streak of eight goals in his last five games.

Speaking earlier this week, teammates Vinicius junior and Rodrigo said they want to make sure Mbappé ends the season as Spain’s top scorer, or Pichichi.

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“It’s nice, but I could say that I also need to help them,” Mbappe replied on Saturday after the high-profile. “We all want the team to win. If I’m top goalscorer, great – I’ve done that many times in my career – but winning the league is the most important thing for me.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti called Mbappé “the best center in the world” last weekend.

“I said the first day here that I can play in all three positions in attack,” Mbappe said when asked about playing centrally.

“My adaptation is over for sure. I feel good, with my movements and my teammates, you can see it on the pitch.”

“(Mbappé) has been playing well for a while,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference. “He scored three goals for the first time. He contributes a lot. He found his rhythm a couple of months ago. It’s a plus for us. He’s a player who has a lot of quality.”