Champions League: Kylian Mbappe Matches Zidane, Benzema's Assist Record Within Reach

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is drawing ever closer to claiming the record for most assists by a French player in the history of the European Champions League. The France National Team star has now accumulated 26 assists, just one single assist behind the benchmark set by Karim Benzema, who leads the all-time rankings with 27 assists.

Mbappe added to his assist tally during Real Madrid's dominant 4-1 home victory against German side Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

During this third Champions League fixture, Mbappe delivered a headed through ball that Arda Guler converted to score Los Blancos' second goal of the match.

The 27-year-old striker did not stop at creating goals. He also went on to score Real Madrid's third goal in what finished as a convincing win for the home side.

This latest assist has brought Mbappe even nearer to the milestone set by his former Real Madrid senior Karim Benzema, who still holds the all-time assist record for French players in the competition.

Official statistics from Football data network Opta confirm Mbappe has registered 26 assists across Europe's elite club tournament. He currently sits joint second alongside Zinedine Zidane, the France National Team Head Coach, who also holds the exact same assist total.

Benzema remains at the very top of the rankings with 27 assists. However, Mbappe only requires one more assist to equal this record, or two assists to completely overtake his compatriot's achievement.

This all-time leaderboard also features other major figures from French Football. Thierry Henry, the legendary former Arsenal and Barcelona forward, occupies fourth place with a career total of 25 assists.

Mbappe's ongoing record chase stands as one of the most compelling storylines of Real Madrid's current Champions League campaign.

Alongside his well-proven goalscoring productivity, the National Team Captain of France has also consistently demonstrated his ability to create clear scoring opportunities for his teammates.

The victory over Leipzig has also strengthened Real Madrid's standing in the Champions League league phase table.

With the 3 points collected from this match, Real Madrid move onto 9 total points and currently sit in 4th place. Los Blancos are only separated from current table leaders Paris Saint-Germain by goal difference, with both clubs holding an identical points tally.

Leipzig meanwhile departed the Santiago Bernabéu with a disappointing result and no points. The German club remain stuck on 3 total points, placed 29th in the overall league phase rankings.

With the Champions League campaign still far from concluded, the path remains fully open for Mbappe to both equal and then surpass Benzema's long-standing record.

Every additional assist he registers from this point will mark another critical step for the Real Madrid forward as he closes in on this historic milestone for French players in Europe's highest tier club football competition.