Kylian Mbappe ends second season without medal: How many Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have suffered in their career?

Kylian Mbappe’s latest season ended without a major trophy for club or countrywhich puts the star of Real Madrid and France in an unfamiliar place. Compared to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldohis career has become synonymous with winning, Mbappe now faces growing questions about whether this difficult spell is just a temporary setback or the start of a bigger challenge.

The French national team also ends the campaign without silverware, adding to the lead after Real Madrid failed in all major competitions. The individual’s brilliance has never been in doubt, but soccer’s biggest awards have once again passed on one of the game’s brightest stars.

Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 with high hopes after years of success with Paris Saint-Germain. Although he continued to score at a high level, his first two seasons in Spain both ended without a major trophydespite winning back-to-back Pichichi awards and scoring goals 86 goals in his first 103 games in Los Blancos.

The French striker also missed out on this year’s Ballon d’Or race after Madrid failed to take it La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, or Spanish Super Cupwhile France also ended the international campaign empty-handed.

Kylian Mbappe #10 from France.

However, Mbappe has now finished two top-flight seasons with nothingboth come sequentially in time 2024-25 and 2025-26 campaigns. Before joining Madrid, he had collected 18 big lipsincluding 2018 World Cup and many Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain.

How many seasons without titles has Lionel Messi endured?

Mbappe’s current drought certainly invites comparisons with the two players who have defined modern football for nearly two decades.

Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina reacts during the quarter finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Anyway Lionel Messi he built one of the most decorated careers in football history, and endured times when Barcelona failed to lift silverware. The Argentine has completed three seasons without a trophy during his senior career: 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2019-20. His longest spell lasted two campaigns in a row before everything changed under Pep Guardiola.

The season	The club	Medals Won
2007-08	Barcelona	0
2019-20	Barcelona	0

After those difficult years, Messi led the history of Barcelona 2008-09 sexvictory La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Years later, after a disappointing 2019-20, he inspired Argentina to win 2021 Copa America before raising the 2022 World Cup.

Section	Record
Seasons of Great Work	20+
Trophyless Seasons	2
Trophyless Rate	Only 2 seasons except silverware
The Longest Drought Ever	2019-20 season
The first season of Trophyless	2007-08 (Barcelona)

How many trophyless seasons has Cristiano Ronaldo endured?

Cristiano Ronaldo also discovered that continued success is not guaranteed, no matter how successful a person is. The Portuguese legend experienced many medalless campaignsbeginning with his early years at Manchester United before later enduring difficult seasons during his return to Old Trafford and the start of his Saudi Arabia tour.

Cristiano Ronaldo #7 of Portugal applauds the fans

His setbacks, however, were followed by equally remarkable rebounds. After his first barren season, Ronaldo became part of a dominant era for Manchester United, helping the club win three consecutive Premier League titlesi 2007-08 UEFA Champions Leagueand his own the first Ballon d’Or.

The season	The club	Medals Won
2004-05	Manchester United	0
2009-10	Real Madrid	0
2021-22	Manchester United	0
2022-23	Al-Nassr	0

Later, after the disappointment of Real Madrid 2014-15 seasonRonaldo responded by leading the Spanish giants to three consecutive Champions League titlescementing his legacy as one of the best players in the competition.

Section	Record
Seasons of Great Work	20+
Trophyless Seasons	4
Clubs During Trophyless Seasons	Manchester United (2), Real Madrid (1), Al-Nassr (1)
The Longest Drought Ever	2009-10 to 2010-11 period before winning the Copa del Rey
The first season of Trophyless	2004-05 (Manchester United)

Mbappe continues to produce elite performances

Despite Madrid’s collective struggles, Mbappe remains one of the most prolific strikers in football. He finished the last campaign with 42 goals in all competitionswhile he continues to be ranked among the top goalscorers in Europe.

His consistency reflects the situations Messi and Ronaldo had when they were working. Messi scored a famous goal 51 goals in the 2018-19 seasonwhen Ronaldo scored 55 goals in 2012-13 again 61 goals in 2014-15however, both campaigns ended in disappointment because their teams failed to get the big prizes available.

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