After a three-match deadlock, French forward Kylian Mbappe finally broke his duck, scoring his first La Liga goal for Real Madrid. And he did it in style, scoring the two goals that saw the club ease past Real Betis in La Liga matchday three clash.
The first half had ended barren, with Los Blancos heading towards what would have been a disappointing draw before Kylian Mbappe came to the rescue in the 67th minute.
The forward latched on a backheel from teammate and Uruguay international Federico Valverde to slot it home past Real Betis goalkeeper. In the 76th minute, he added to the tally by converting a spot-kick to make it 2-0.
Mbappe’s brace saw the footballer join the elite circle of La Liga players who opened their La Liga goal account with braces. Below is a list of them;
Ronaldo Nazario
Ronaldo Nazario was a cog in the legendary and famed Real Madrid squad in the 2000s. Popularly known as R9, the Brazilian striker took the Spanish league by storm after he recovered from an injury that delayed his debut.
Unlike other goal scorers in this list, Nazario scored the fastest goal ever by a La Liga debutant. It took him just 61 seconds to fire Real Madrid into the lead. He would score again late into the game as Real Madrid ran out with a thumping 5-2 victory over Alaves.
The Brazilian football legend, who is now the president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, ended his La Liga career with 83 goals in 127 appearances for Real Madrid.
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez for Real Madrid in La Liga
Javier Chicharito Hernandez had a tumultuous career but was relentless in proving his goal-scoring prowess. Manchester United loaned the Mexican to Real Madrid where he was used mainly as a bench piece. However, his stunning and impressive shifts didn’t go unnoticed.
In his third career cap with the Los Blancos, Javier Hernandez sent Los Blancos fans into a frenzy after he scored a stunning brace in an 8-2 mauling of newly promoted side Deportivo La Coruna. It was his first La Liga strike, and the two goals came from outside the box.
Chicharito scored seven goals in 23 matches during the loan spell before returning to Manchester United. He was one of the best forwards of his time from North America.
Daniel Ceballos La Liga heroics
Real Madrid midfielder Daniel Ceballos is another footballer who etched his name into the record books in the Spanish top flight. The Spain international, who has scored five La Liga goals in 98 appearances for Real Madrid, opened his La Liga goal account with a brace in 2017.
In a seething clash against Deportivo Alaves, Ceballos scored the two goals that saw Real Madrid scrap past Alaves 2-1 to return to winning ways after a loss to Real Betis in their previous fixture.
Ruud Van Nistelroy
Nistelroy is another footballer who got off to a great goal-scoring start in the Spanish top flight. The Dutch, who joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2006, proved his mettle with a brilliant performance for the Los Blancos against Levante in 2008.
The game was heading towards what would have been a barren draw before the forward scored two late goals that turned it in Real Madrid’s favor. He would go on to score 46 goals in 68 appearances for the club.
