Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville has anointed Paris Saint Germain forward, Kylian Mbappe as the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But before Mbappe can achieve that, he has to win more big titles like the two football icons.
Neville who is now a commentator on Sky Sports said the 23-year-old French footballer has all it takes to crown himself successor to Messi and Ronaldo at the end of the 2021-2022 season.
Recall that for over 14 years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been dominating the world of football. They have been winning everything there is to win in the game.
The two players alone have won 12 Ballon d’Or titles, seven for 34-year-old Messi and five for 37-year-old Ronaldo.
Currently, there is no player in the history of football that has scored as many competitive goals as Ronaldo (804 goals). And no duo have won combined titles like Messi and Ronaldo (69 trophies, 34 for Ronaldo, and 35 for Messi).
Due to their unprecedented achievements in the world of football, the debate has been between Messi and Ronaldo. Their dominance has made the world believe that there are no other players as great as the two rivals.
In fact, their dominance has indirectly divided the world of football into two broad fan base. A part of the divide believe that Messi is the greatest footballer of all time while others believe Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time.
Unfortunately, they are both at the tail end or their careers which means that the world is already looking forward to who will succeed them.
In Gary Neville’s argument, Kylian Mbappe has all it takes to succeed Ronaldo and Messi especially if he can help PSG to win this season’s UEFA Champions League title.
The football pundit believes that Ronaldo and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Messi are no longer the best players in the world.
“We may see cameos or little swansongs here and there, but there is no doubt that Ronaldo and Messi are coming to the end of their careers,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“That’s not to say they are coming to the end of their careers and will retire at the end of the season; Ronaldo and Messi could play three or four more years, knowing their fitness. Declining seems like the wrong word when talking about two great players, but there is no doubt they are declining forces.
“At this moment in time, for the first time in years, if you asked people which player in the world they would sign if I could only pick one, no one would say Messi or Ronaldo, they would likely say Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski.
“You would be naming players other than Ronaldo and Messi, and that is the clearest sign that, while these two are still operating at the highest level, they are fading from the levels they were at before. They are no longer the best players in the world.”
How Kylian Mbappe can be the successor of Messi and Ronaldo?
Before now, the argument has been that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will succeed Ronaldo and Messi but Gary Neville believes that Mbappe has an edge over other high-flying footballers including Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
All the players mentioned above have one thing in common which is to score a lot of goals. But the edge Mbappe has above them is his ability to run very fast on the ball.
The 23-year-old French striker can score, dribble, tackle, provide assists and of course, run like a machine. He used all these abilities to help France win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
So far this season, the Frenchman who is expected to help PSG knock out Real Madrid from the round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League, has scored 24 goals and provided 17 assists in 34 games in all competitions.
His consistency has made him the major transfer target of Real Madrid and PSG has been doing everything possible to extend his contract before it expires on June 30, 2022.
Despite all that, Gary Neville believes that Mbappe need to win the UEFA Champions League and another World Cup to fully succeed Ronaldo and Messi.
“In terms of excitement, in terms of thrill, in terms of speed, Mbappe is absolutely sensational,” Neville said. “He reminds me of Thierry Henry, but he’s also got a bit of Cristiano Ronaldo in him – he is ruthless.
“He needs to win the Champions League with PSG this season, that would be the ultimate thing for him. The Champions League, and another World Cup, would be the crowning glory for Mbappe to succeed Ronaldo and Messi.
“In terms of excitement, in terms of thrill, in terms of speed, Mbappe is absolutely sensational,” Neville said. “He reminds me of Thierry Henry, but he’s also got a bit of Cristiano Ronaldo in him – he is ruthless.
“He needs to win the Champions League with PSG this season, that would be the ultimate thing for him. The Champions League, and another World Cup, would be the crowning glory for Mbappe to succeed Ronaldo and Messi.
“I’m not saying he needs to win those trophies to become the best player in the world, but it cements your position if you play for the teams that win either of those trophies. For Mbappe, he knows silverware and honors go with that greatness.
“Mbappe’s last-minute goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League was absolutely sensational. The great players win tournaments, they win big competitions, they are influential in big competitions. Mbappe is at that level now.”
Kylian Mbappe • Five seasons of the French superstar
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