Kylian Mbappé: Is he really dominating La Liga?

After 22 matchdays, public opinion around La Liga 2025–26 seems crystal clear:
Kylian Mbappé dominates the league.

With 22 goals, he has scored 10 more than the second top scorer, Ferran Torres (12). By traditional standards, the debate appears settled.

But when we look at how goals are created, not just who finishes them, a more nuanced picture emerges.

This analysis focuses exclusively on the five La Liga clubs competing in the Champions League this season:
Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal and Athletic Club.

1. Mbappé vs Yamal: A gap much smaller than it looks

In raw goals, the comparison is brutal: Mbappé has 13 more (22) than Yamal (9). If we consider goals+assists (G/A), he still has 8 more. But in Goal Contribution (gC), it suddenly becomes competitive.

After 22 matchdays:

Mbappé totals 10.79 gC
Lamine Yamal follows closely with 10.00 gC

Beyond the headline numbers, the underlying involvement is strikingly similar:

Goal actions involved: 28 (Mbappé) vs 27 (Yamal)
Opponents eliminated per goal action: 2.21 vs 2.41
Individual contribution per goal action: 38.54% vs 37.04%

Detailed metrics comparison: Mbappé vs Yamal

Despite a massive finishing gap, Yamal’s influence on Barcelona’s attacking output now rivals Mbappé’s impact at Real Madrid. The difference lies less in involvement and far more in finishing volume.

2. Inside Real Madrid: Vinícius Jr is much closer than the goal count suggests

Mbappé remains, by far, Real Madrid’s top scorer, with 16 more goals than Vinícius Júnior (6). But again, gC tells a different story.

After 22 games, Vinícius Júnior has been involved in 20 goal actions, eliminating 2.45 opponents per action, for an individual contribution of 37.70% per action. He totals 7.54 gC, which is just over 3 gC fewer than Mbappé, despite a vastly different goal tally.

In short:
Mbappé finishes more. Vinícius still drives a large share of Real Madrid’s attacking production.

Viní Jr goal Contribution profile

3. Pedri vs Ferran Torres: When contribution beats finishing

One of the clearest illustrations of gC’s added value appears in Barcelona’s squad.

Ferran Torres:
- 12 goals
- 20 goal actions
- 1.85 opponents eliminated per action
- 26.95% personal contribution
Pedri:
- 2 goals
- 18 goal actions
- 2.28 opponents eliminated per action
- 30.61% personal contribution

Despite scoring 10 fewer goals, Pedri contributes more to decisive actions than Ferran Torres. A reality completely invisible through goals and assists (G/A) alone — but clearly captured by gC.

Pedri vs Ferran Torres – Goal Contribution profiles

Earlier this year, we published a study showing that, on average, 35% of players involved in each goal do not appear in goals and assists (G/A). Pedri may be the ultimate example of this. And there are many players like him. Mbappé is still the most decisive player in La Liga, but Yamal is closer than ever.

And this is why looking beyond goals and assists (G/A) matters to measure decisiveness.

👉 Follow the complete, live Goal Contribution rankings here: https://www.goal-contribution.com/rankings