By Spy Uganda
Kylian Mbappé said he wants to be at Real Madrid “for many years” — and win more trophies at the club — after receiving the European Golden Boot for 2024-25.
Mbappé scored 31 LaLiga goals last season, his debut campaign with Madrid, to win the prestigious individual trophy, presented by the organisation European Sports Media, for the first time in his career.”It’s a pleasure for me to win the Golden Boot,” Mbappé said in a ceremony at the Bernabéu on Friday attended by coach Xabi Alonso, the Real Madrid squad, and president Florentino Pérez.
“It’s an important moment for me, the first time I win this prize. It means a lot to me as a forward.”
The award is given to the top scorer in Europe’s leagues during a season, with a points system weighted to favour goals in more competitive leagues.
Mbappé’s 31 league goals saw him awarded 62 points, finishing ahead of Viktor Gyökeres, with 58.5 points for his season at Sporting CP, and Liverpool’s Mo Salah on 58 points.
Harry Kane won the prize in 2023-24, Erling Haaland in 2022-23, and Robert Lewandowski the two seasons before that.
Mbappé praised his teammates, after a start to the 2025-26 season under new coach Alonso which has seen Madrid win 12 out of 13 games in all competitions.
“We have an incredible group,” Mbappé said.
“I hope we’re going to win important prizes this year. That’s the most important thing, winning collective prizes. I hope to be here for many years and win this kind of thing many times.”
Madrid are five points clear at the top of LaLiga, after beating rivals Barcelona in their Clásico last weekend. They host Valencia on Saturday.
“I hope we’ll keep going as a team, as I say the team is the most important thing,” Mbappé said.
“Without these players it’s impossible to win these prizes. I know that. I want to thank the club, the doctors, the staff, who help me on and off the pitch. I hope I’ll win it again, next year, I’ve started well!”
“I’m very proud that our team can count on a player like you,” President Pérez — for whom signing Mbappé was a top priority for many years — said. “You perfectly represent the values of this club.
“Last season, you won the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. You won this shoe with 31 league goals in 34 games and 44 goals in all competitions. This season, you already have 16 goals.
“You’re top scorer in the league and the Champions League, in the best start to a season of your career. This is your first Golden Shoe, it’s very difficult to achieve, we’ve had three here [at Madrid]: Hugo Sánchez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazario.”
Arne Slot has refused to be drawn on whether negotiations are still ongoing to extend his Liverpool contract and insisted his focus is on returning his team to winning ways.
Slot signed an initial three-year deal when he joined the club in 2024, with the expectation being that the Dutchman would pen fresh terms after leading Liverpool to the Premier League title last season. However, the Reds title defence has imploded spectacularly in recent weeks, with Slot’s side having lost six of their last seven games in all competitions.
Asked for an update on his own contract situation in a news conference on Friday, Slot said: “This is the last question that I was expecting. My focus is completely on getting Liverpool back to winning ways.
“That is my first answer and my second answer, contract talks, if they are even there, we never speak about this here. Let us first start to win again, that is my main focus.”
Liverpool have lost each of their last four Premier League games and were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Slot caused controversy after Wednesday’s cup exit by claiming he does not have a deep squad, despite the club having spent more than £400 million ($525m) in the summer transfer market.
“We miss nothing,” Slot said when quizzed on the weaknesses within his team.
“I am happy that you asked this question because I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have but that makes the issue — if you call it an issue — is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured … but no excuses for our results before people say this.
“We have had to play a lot of away games with only two days rest in-between and that would have been difficult for our players last season and players that have been fit all pre-season but that has not been our situation. It is nothing to do with the squad depth, it is how we’ve gone throughout the season in terms of injuries and availability.”
Among Liverpool’s mounting list of absentees is striker Alexander Isak, who looks set to miss this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa with a groin problem. Midfielder Curtis Jones is also likely to be sidelined, but the Reds could be boosted by the return of Ryan Gravenberch, who sustained an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month.
“Ryan trained with us yesterday,” Slot said. “The other two [Isak and Jones] didn’t yet.
“In the end phase of the injury, things can slow down a bit or things can go faster but Ryan trained with us yesterday and he will train with us today and then we will make the call whether he is able to start. The other two are 99.9% sure not in the squad on Saturday.”
