MADRID - Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick against Manchester City propelled Real Madrid into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday and him to a new personal high with Los Blancos.
This was the kind of night the French superstar dreamed of, both as a boy in his bedroom surrounded by Cristiano Ronaldo posters and in his past few seasons at Paris Saint-Germain.
As PSG came up short year after year in Europe, Mbappe watched on as Madrid extended their power over the European game, reaching a record 15 European Cup triumphs.
With Madrid's poor start to the current campaign -- in part due to Mbappe's teething problems -- leaving the Spanish and European champions in the play-off round against City, they needed the forward to deliver.
With three lethal finishes he did just that to help Carlo Ancelotti's rampant Madrid seal a 3-1 win on the night and 6-3 aggregate triumph.
"This is the type of game we want to play," said Mbappe.
"People told me about these nights and now I can see it with my own eyes and I want to live through many more of them."
After years of speculation and failed attempts to sign him, Mbappe finally arrived in the Spanish capital last summer.
However his first few months brought problems, an apparent lack of confidence and erratic form.
Missed penalties against Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao highlighted the concerns around him but Mbappe drew a line under it and pledged to show his character.
With 18 goals in his last 18 matches, he has done just that and his best performance in a Madrid shirt came at the adoring Santiago Bernabeu against City.
"I knew that I couldn't have done worse than I was doing," Mbappe told Movistar after his stunning treble against City.
"I had to play with personality, my adaptation time was over and I have to show my quality."