The entire football fraternity are in constant debate about who is the “Greatest of All Time’ especially now with Lionel Messi lifting the World Cup for Argentina in Qatar as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal were knocked out of the championship in the quarterfinals by Morocco. However former England international and Manchester United legend, Wayne Rooney feels that there are better players than Messi and Ronaldo currently.
Rooney picks Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint Germain and France talisman Kylian Mbappe as better players than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo currently. However he also clarifies himself by saying that these two youngsters may not have a career like Messi and Ronaldo in the long run but for now he feels both of them are better as the latter two are entering the twilight of their careers.
“(Erling) Haaland and (Kylian) Mbappe, of course, the next two, at this moment of time, they are obviously better than Messi and Ronaldo. But for them to emulate the career that Messi and Ronaldo have had I can’t see it like, I can’t see,” Rooney stated.
Messi has now won every big title left in football starting from club level accolades to international accolades and obviously plenty of individual achievements. Ronaldo also has helped Portugal to win the Euros and have also won five Ballon d’Or awards. Although he has not won the World Cup he has still left a great impact in the world of football.
Rooney has played with Ronaldo during their time at Manchester United and he has also played against Messi in the Champions League. So the former English forward feels that it is very difficult to replicate what Messi and Ronaldo has accomplished together in the same era. He feels that the world of football wont see that again.
“What Messi and Ronaldo have done is very unique in the world of football. For Messi and Ronaldo to do it at the same time in the same league for a long time, I don’t think we’ll see that again,” Rooney added.
However if we look at the new generation, the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have shown the talent that they possess and the quality that they bring to the table. The Norwegian goal scoring machine has been scoring for fun. He has scored 110 goals in 108 games across competitions for Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund combined. He has been deadly in the penalty area and has been a mayhem for the opposition defenders.
Meanwhile Kylian Mbappe has rocked world football with his outstanding performance and talent. At the age of 24 the Frenchman has already won the World Cup with France back in 2014 in Russia. He has also been making headlines for PSG and is eager to guide them to the Champions League title after he lost out in the World Cup finals with Les Blues against Argentina in the Qatar World Cup. He won the Golden Boot at the quadrennial tournament having scored eight goals and finishing with a silver medal.
Both the players have to go a long way to match the level of Messi and Ronaldo but for now they have had fantastic starts to their careers. Only time will tell if the youngsters manage to create their own legacy in the coming years.
