Mbappé breaks Messi’s Champions League record

Kylian Mbappé has broken Lionel Messi’s UEFA Champions record to become the youngest player to reach 100 matches in the world’s top club football body says

Mbappé is the latest player to join the illustrious list and the fifth French player to reach a century, at 27 years, 298 days. He achieved the century mark on Wednesday when he featured for his team in their UCL game against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Italy on October 14, 2026.

The French captain also got on the scoresheet with a first-half equaliser at half-time to make it 1-1. Madrid later secured a 4-3 win. Lionel Messi had set the previous record at 28 years, 84 days against Roma on September 16, 2015.

Mbappé made his Champions League debut as a 17-year-old with Monaco in September 2016. A picture of Raúl, Messi and Mbappé when they reached their 100 Champions League appearances. Credit: MadridXtra/X.

He also led the Champions League scoring chart last season with 15 goals, including the second-fastest hat-trick in the competition’s history against Olympiacos when he netted three goals in six minutes and 42 seconds.

According to UEFA, Mbappé is the second player to bag a century of games this season. His Madrid teammate Thibaut Courtois became the first Belgian to reach the landmark on Matchday 1.

Four other players – Bernardo Silva, Joshua Kimmich, Jan Oblak and Nicolás Otamendi – reached 100 appearances in the 2025/26 football season. Madrid and Spain legend Raúl González was the first player to make 100 Champions League appearances. He achieved the remarkable feat on February 21, 2006, at 28, coming on as a substitute in Real Madrid’s 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal.