The Spanish giants' Galactico inspired his side to a crucial victory at Villarreal to go three points clear at the top of La Liga
Kylian Mbappe's clinical brace secured Real Madrid a 2-1 comeback win at Villarreal to return to the summit of La Liga on Saturday.
Madrid, who left Vinicius Junior on the bench, were on the back foot from the off as former Newcastle United man Ayoze Perez forced Thibaut Courtois into a good low save.
The Spain international looked to have fizzed a strike into the bottom corner but the Belgian keeper got a big, strong hand to it.
The visitors' resistance ended in the seventh minute, however, when captain Juan Foyth tucked the ball home from close range after Madrid failed to deal with Alex Baena's corner.
Out of nowhere, Madrid equalised 10 minutes later when Mbappe fired through a crowd of bodies after Brahim Diaz's effort was initially saved by Diego Conde.
Los Blancos showed their ruthless side when the Frenchman grabbed his 20th La Liga goal of the season as he curled a lovely effort into the corner in the 23rd minute.
Courtois then came up trumps for his team just before the break as he showed his athleticism to push away Nicolas Pepe's goalbound effort.
Villarreal should have pulled level shortly after the break but Foyth couldn't keep his close-range volley underneath the crossbar.
The Yellow Submarine kept pushing for an equaliser and were a whisker away from getting it, only for Perez to rifle a shot just over the bar.
Madrid held on for a hard-fought win as they won at Villarreal for the first time in La Liga since 2017. All eyes will now be on who comes out on top when second-placed Barcelona, who have two games in hand on Carlo Ancelotti's team, visit third-positioned Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio de la Ceramica…
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Thibaut Courtois (8/10):
Pulled off two impressive saves early on but there wasn't much he could do for Villarreal's opener. The big keeper was on top form all night.
Lucas Vazquez (7/10):
Had a couple of difficult moments, especially in the opening 15 minutes, but put in a good shift for his team.
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Made some important last-ditch interceptions to maintain Madrid's lead and helped shore up his side's defence.
Aurelien Tchouameni (8/10):
His covering and defensive work got Madrid out of a spot of bother, despite getting booked for his troubles.
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Repeatedly got forward in attack to assist Rodrygo and was competent enough at the back.
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Federico Valverde (7/10):
Got stuck into the midfield battle and while it wasn't his best game, he added extra assuredness in the centre of the park.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Looked a bit shaky at times, with some rash decision-making, but improved as the encounter wore on.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
Relieved the pressure on his team with some powerful driving runs. Had a couple of good tussles with Foyth.
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Brahim Diaz (7/10):
Was heavily involved in Madrid's equaliser and was a handful for Villarreal's defence.
Kylian Mbappe (9/10):
Kept his cool and fired in a timely equaliser and then showed his clinical edge with a pearler of a second. The Frenchman was in irresistible form at times.
Rodrygo (7/10):
Had a couple of half-decent openings but the Brazilian did not look as effective on the left. Did his defensive duties, though.
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Antonio Rudiger (7/10):
The German made some important interventions in defence when called upon.
Vinicius Junior (6/10):
The Brazilian looked a bit off-colour and had a limited impact off the bench.
Luka Modric (8/10):
When he came on, Madrid seemed to keep the ball better as he stamped his authority on the contest.
Arda Guler (6/10):
Took the wrong option on a couple of occasions.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
His team were outplayed in the opening exchanges but they showed their champion qualities by coming from behind to win. His substitutes added an extra element of control which was very timely, too.
