Erling Haaland plays down rivalry with Kylian Mbappe over who the next Messi and Ronaldo will be
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‘Impossible to say’: Manchester City striker Erling Haaland plays down rivalry with Kylian Mbappe over which superstar could become the next Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
- Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are considered future greats of the game.
- The Man City star made a stellar start in England, scoring 23 goals in 18 games.
- Meanwhile, Mbappé won the Golden Boot in Qatar, scoring a hat-trick in the final.
- The 22-year-old ‘doesn’t like to compare himself to others and focuses on himself’
Erling Haaland has downplayed his future rivalry with French superstar Kylian Mbappe over who could become soccer’s next Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
For over a decade, the discussion between Messi and Ronaldo has been one of the most discussed topics in football, and has even been coined as the ‘GOAT’ debate.
Now, with Messi 35 and Ronaldo 37, soccer fans have already begun debating who could replace the game’s two greats as they enter the final years of their careers.
Erling Haaland has played down his future rivalry with French superstar Kylian Mbappe over who could become the next Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Haaland is flourishing at Man City, while Mbappé has just won the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Qatar
Haaland, 22, has enjoyed a stellar start at Manchester City, scoring an extraordinary 23 goals in 18 games for the club. Meanwhile, superstar Mbappé is 19 in 20 for PSG.
The Norwegian star returns to action tonight in Man City’s Carabao Cup round of 16 tie with Liverpool, having been desperately hoping club football would return to his country without competing in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Mbappé returns to PSG after winning the Golden Boot in Qatar, including a hat-trick in France’s World Cup final loss to Argentina.
But when asked if Haaland and Mbappé could be the next Ronaldo and Messi, the Norwegian striker said viaplay: ‘It’s impossible to say.
‘I don’t like to compare myself to others. I think you need to be your own player when it comes to that, so I don’t like to compare or anything to that.
Messi and Ronaldo, who have played at the highest level for nearly 20 years, have always divided fans over who is the greatest in football.
Messi has been hailed as the greatest by fans after winning the World Cup with Argentina.
But Haaland is happy about the conversation and praised the coverage the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry has had over the years.
“I think the media have been doing that with Ronaldo and Messi for the last 10 years and I think they have also been putting pressure on each other,” he added.
‘I think it has been something positive. Barcelona and Madrid against each other.
It has been the perfect rivalry. But I don’t think about this [rivalry between him and Mbappe]honestly.’
Many soccer fans were quick to cement Messi as the ‘GOAT’ after he managed to win the top of soccer last Sunday, something Ronaldo has failed to achieve for Portugal.
Ronaldo and Messi have 12 Ballon d’Ors between them and have often been praised for the longevity they have shown in their careers.
Only time will tell if Haaland and Mbappé can keep up their incredible achievements to match, or surpass, those of Ronaldo and Messi.