The French forward produced a sensational display as Real Madrid swept aside Real Sociedad to move top of LaLiga and hand José Mourinho a winning competitive comeback in the Spanish capital.
Kylian Mbappé stole the spotlight with a hat-trick as Real Madrid began José Mourinho’s latest spell at the Santiago Bernabéu with a convincing 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad.
Mbappé was at the heart of Madrid’s attacking display, while Jude Bellingham contributed two assists and Vinicius Junior also found the net as the hosts climbed to the summit of LaLiga.
Real Madrid made an energetic start, with Mbappé and Vinicius repeatedly combining to threaten the Sociedad defence. The visitors’ goalkeeper Alex Remiro was forced into action on several occasions, while Thibaut Courtois also produced an important save to deny Mikel Oyarzabal.
Sociedad came close to taking the lead when Sergio Gomez attempted an ambitious volley from the left side of the penalty area, but Madrid eventually found the breakthrough five minutes before the interval.
Federico Valverde sent Mbappé through inside the box, and the Frenchman calmly took a touch before firing into the top-left corner to put Madrid ahead.
The advantage did not last until the break, however. Job Ochieng’s effort was blocked by Ibrahima Konate, but Luka Sucic reacted quickest to the rebound and fired home to restore parity.
Mbappé takes control after the break
Madrid regained the lead shortly after the hour mark when Mbappé exchanged passes with Bellingham before producing a composed finish beyond Remiro.
The hosts extended their advantage just eight minutes later.
Bellingham initially saw his attempt crowded out, but the England midfielder immediately won possession back from Luken Beitia and played the ball across to Vinicius, who had the simple task of finishing into an empty net.
Mbappé completed his treble late in the contest after Vinicius produced a clever reverse pass. The French striker lifted the ball over the advancing Remiro to put the finishing touch on an outstanding individual performance.
Mbappé sets the tone
The Bernabéu faithful responded by chanting Mourinho’s name during the closing stages as the Portuguese coach celebrated an impressive return to competitive action at the club.
Mbappé also became the first player to register a LaLiga hat-trick this season. Since joining Real Madrid in the 2024-25 campaign, his six hat-tricks for the club across all competitions are at least twice as many as those of any other LaLiga player.
The Frenchman finished the match with a game-high eight shots and 13 touches inside the penalty area. Real Sociedad have also become one of his favourite opponents, with the forward now having scored seven times against them in the competition.
Bellingham and Vinicius each contributed directly to two goals, while Bellingham dominated the physical battle by winning nine of his 14 duels.
Arda Güler was another standout performer, creating five chances for his teammates. The youngster had also created seven chances in Madrid’s opening victory over Espanyol.
Real Madrid will now turn their attention to their next LaLiga fixture against Málaga in the third round.
