Kylian Mbappe Pays Tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo After Hat-trick Against Real Sociedad

• Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4-1 in their second La Liga match of the 2026/27 season
• The Frenchman ditched his trademark celebration and paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after his third goal
• The tribute quickly went viral, with fans drawing comparisons to Ronaldo's iconic celebration from the 2012/13 La Liga season

Kylian Mbappé paid a special tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on matchday two of the 2026/27 La Liga season.

The French forward, 27, chose Ronaldo's iconic aeroplane celebration after completing his treble, setting aside his familiar 'Ninja Turtle' pose in honour of his boyhood idol.

According to Sofascore, Mbappé opened the scoring after Fede Valverde powered through Sociedad's midfield before finding the forward.

Luka Sucic restored parity four minutes later, but Madrid regained the lead in the 60th minute when Mbappe combined with Jude Bellingham.

Read also

Chelsea captain clashes with teammate in heated exchange after Fulham win: Video

Vinicius Junior made it 3-1 eight minutes later before Mbappe completed his hat-trick with 10 minutes remaining.

Mbappé honours Ronaldo with iconic celebration

It was Mbappé's third goal that captured the most attention.

Instead of performing his trademark celebration, the Frenchman spread his arms wide and mimicked Ronaldo's famous aeroplane gesture.

The celebration has long been associated with the Portuguese superstar, who famously used it during Real Madrid's 2012/13 campaign, including against Celta Vigo.

Watch how Mbappe honoured Ronaldo, as shared on X:

The gesture quickly sparked a wave of reactions online, with supporters delighted by Mbappé's tribute.

@Royal_Fiel wrote:

"Mbappe's love for Ronaldo is out of this world."

@BlancLegendario reacted:

"How lovelyyyy."

@hardeyfunds added:

"He downloaded CR7 on his head."

@CarinaKJacob commented:

"I love how Mbappe loves Ronaldo."

Mbappé fires Real Madrid to La Liga summit

The hat-trick also strengthened Mbappé's early claim for another individual scoring crown.

Read also

Joao Pedro sets Chelsea record 31 seconds after wearing the No. 9 shirt vs Fulham

After scoring in the opening matchday and adding three more against Sociedad, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward now leads the La Liga scoring charts.

The victory also moved Real Madrid to the top of the table, although they have played one more match than defending champions Barcelona.

Mbappe and his teammates will return to league action on August 30, when they welcome newly promoted side Malaga to the Santiago Bernabéu.

Mbappe vs Ronaldo: First 100 Real Madrid games

In a previous publication, YEN.com.gh compared Kylian Mbappé's statistics to Cristiano Ronaldo's in their first 100 games at Real Madrid.

Mbappe had scored 85 goals and provided 23 assists in his first 100 games for Madrid, while Ronaldo netted 95 goals in the same number of appearances.

Source: YEN.com.gh