On July 6, after scoring a super goal against Borussia Dortmund at the FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe paid tribute to his recently deceased colleague Diogo Jota.
Kylian Mbappe pays tribute to Diogo Jota after stunning goal – Photo: REUTERS
With just 45 minutes on the pitch against Borussia Dortmund, Kylian Mbappe managed to leave a brilliant mark. Despite having just recovered from an intestinal illness that kept him out since the start of the tournament, the French striker scored one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament, helping Real Madrid raise the score to 3-1 before winning 3-2 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals.
In the 90+4 minute, when the score was 2-1 and Dortmund began to put pressure back on, Mbappe chose the right moment to speak up. From a cross like a set by Arda Guler, Mbappe jumped high and fired a beautiful “bicycle kick” volley.
The ball flew straight into the net, leaving the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper standing there watching. After scoring, Mbappe ran towards the camera and raised his hands to make the number 20 sign. According to the team’s internal revelation, this was an act of gratitude to Diogo Jota, the Liverpool player who recently passed away in a traffic accident.
This goal was not only valuable in terms of score, but also helped Mbappe reach the milestone of 44 goals in the 2024-25 season. Notably, he has scored in all seven tournaments that Real Madrid participated in this season – from La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey to Super Cup and now FIFA Club World Cup. Mbappé’s stability and terrible performance continue to affirm why he is always a name that makes every defense afraid.
However, Mbappé has a difficult match ahead, when he has to face a very high-flying PSG in the semi-final. PSG is also the old team where he played for many years and also the place that caused a lot of trouble on his journey from Paris.
It will be the first time he faces PSG in the Real Madrid shirt. Although he is not showing signs of reaching 100% fitness, experts say that this is a match where Mbappe “must play no matter what”.
