Mbappe, Haaland face surprise competition: The La Liga striker making headlines across Europe
The 2025–26 season has been underway for more than a month, and both domestic leagues and international competitions are beginning to take shape. In that context, stars like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have delivered performances in line with expectations—but, surprisingly, they’ve been joined by a standout from La Liga.
Borja Iglesias has been in top form in recent weeks. The Celta Vigo striker has led his team with a goal-scoring streak that puts him in elite company. He has scored in six consecutive matches across both domestic and international competitions.
To put those numbers into perspective, across Europe’s top five leagues (England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany), only two other players have posted similar stats: Mbappe and Haaland.
Iglesias scored his first goal of the season on August 31, in Matchday 3 of La Liga against Villarreal. Since then, he’s found the net against Girona and Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish top flight, Stuttgart in the UEFA Europa League, and Elche in La Liga. His most recent goal came Thursday against PAOK in the European tournament.
However, Iglesias’ outstanding individual form hasn’t translated into team success. In fact, Celta have won just one match all season, the most recent one against PAOK. In the Europa League, they sit 13th in the league phase standings, while in La Liga they are currently in 17th place.
How do Mbappe and Haaland compare?
Like Borja Iglesias, Erling Haaland has scored in six consecutive matches. The Norwegian striker, though, has bagged multiple goals in several of those appearances. Over that same stretch, the Manchester City star has scored nine goals, and 11 total on the season. The only match in which he failed to score was against Tottenham in the Premier League.
Kylian Mbappe’s numbers are just as impressive. The Real Madrid forward has 13 goals in nine matches this season, 10 of which have come in his last six outings. He stood out in particular with a hat trick this week against Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League.
Europe’s top scorers in the 2025–26 season
Borja Iglesias’ hot streak, while remarkable, hasn’t been enough to put him at the top of the scoring charts in any major competition—at least not yet. In La Liga, that honor belongs to Mbappe, who has eight goals. In the Premier League, the top scorer is Erling Haaland, also with eight.
Harry Kane is dominating the Bundesliga, with 10 goals in just five matches. France and Italy, on the other hand, have seen more modest stats: Paris FC’s Ilan Kebbal leads Ligue 1 with four goals, the same number that Christian Pulisic has recorded with AC Milan in Serie A.
Kylian Mbappe is also making waves on the international stage. He has scored five goals in two appearances with Real Madrid, making him the current top scorer in the UEFA Champions League. In the Europa League, Panathinaikos’ Anass Zaroury leads with three goals, while Celje’s Franko Kovacevic tops the Conference League with three as well.