Four possible successors to the throne that Messi and Cristiano will leave
While the Portuguese and the Argentine leave the scene, there are already some players who are emerging to be the new kings of football .
These are the candidates that are emerging as the successors of Messi and Cristiano. / Photos: instagram.com/k.mbappe, instagram.com/joaofelix79
LatinamericanPost| Guillermo Vite
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Leer en español: Cuatro posibles sucesores al trono que dejarán Messi y Cristiano
A few weeks ago Lionel Messi released a list of 15 young players who could succeed him as the greatest exponents of world football. In that group chosen by La Pulga there are names like Benjamin Pavard or Trent Alexander-Arnold , among others. And although these two are extraordinary defenses, we must not lose sight of the fact that those who usually occupy that space are offensive players, just as Cristiano and Messi are.
In that list Messi did mention footballers of great virtues with the ball: the French Kylian Mbappé, the English Jadon Sancho and the Portuguese Joao Félix; however he omitted the Dane Erling Haaland, a deadly attacker.
These four players are emerging to compete for the label as the best footballers in the world.
Kylian Mbappé
Paris Saint-Germain
21 years
French
Center forward
The new Pelé is wanted by the whites.
For Edson Arantes do Nascimento , the young French striker is the new Pelé and he also sees him capable of scoring more than 1000 goals, a mark surpassed by O Rei in his successful career.
In statements released by Marca , Pele assured that Kylian Mbappé "has a Brazilian style" and joked that it was a shame that "he did not play for Santos".
The Frenchman draws the attention of Pelé and the world for "his scoring ability, speed and charisma" , according to an analysis of the portal Defensacentral.com . And not only that, Mbappé: “is very influential in the game and associates wonderfully with the rest of his teammates ” . That is why his name is constantly called to reinforce big clubs like Real Madrid, where he could become the winner of the Ballon d'Or.
"Nunca habría imaginado ganar un Mundial con 19 años, jugar en el Mónaco con 16, protagonizar un traspaso enorme al PSG o poder saludar a Pelé. Toda mi carrera es un sueño, no tengo papel bastante para escribir todo lo que me queda. Vivo al día a día y trato de conseguir lo mejor", Kylian Mbappé.
Virtues
Shooting 99 points out of 100
Chance creation 90 points out of 100
Take on 87 points out of 100
Distribution 56 points out of 100
* Evaluation obtained in the portal: https://football-observatory.com
His value at 180 million euros places him …
As World's Most Valuable Player Position 1
Most valuable player in Ligue 1 Position 1
Most valuable player in his country Position 1
As the World's Most Valuable Center Forward Position 1
Valuation according to the portal https://www.transfermarkt.es
Jadon sancho
Borussia Dortmund
20 years
English
Rightmost
Jadon shares similarities with Messi
Jadon is electrifying. According to bundesliga.com , he can reach a speed of 34.6 kilometers per hour. His speed and ease of dribbling one on one "with impossible threats" , according to the sport.es portal, make him a fearsome player for his rivals.
With those weapons, Sancho became the best assist creator in the 2018-19 season with 14 passes to goal, in addition to scoring 12 times.
There is a detail that makes Jadon a promising player to occupy the throne of soccer, Marca.com recorded that at age 20 the Englishman scored 34 goals and 43 assists in 94 games, with which he surpassed 26 goals and eight Goal passes that at that age Lionel Messi had in 70 games with Barcelona and also Cristiano Ronaldo, who by then had 16 goals and 17 assists in 107 games between Sporting and Manchester United.
Sancho's records motivated bbc.com to carry out an analysis in which they suggest the possibility that the Englishman will occupy the place of Messi as the new king of soccer because Jadon shares with La Pulga "cruelty in front of the goal" and he also has "supreme ability to carry the ball and produce something at the end".
"Solo mirando sus habilidades, Jadon definitivamente tiene lo que se necesita para convertirse en uno de los cinco jugadores más grandes del mundo. Ves grandes talentos que se desperdician, y yo diría que ya ha hecho lo suficiente para demostrar su valía", Thomas Delaney, futbolista.
Virtues
Shooting 67 points out of 100
Chance creation 96 points out of 100
Take on 77 points out of 100
Distribution 77 points out of 100
* Evaluation obtained in the portal: https://football-observatory.com
His value at 117 million euros places him …
Most valuable player in the world Position 8
Most valuable player in the Bundesliga Position 1
As the most valuable player in his country Position 3
Most valuable right winger in the world Rank 2
Valuation according to the portal https://www.transfermarkt.es
Also read: The most unusual injuries in the world of football
Joao Felix
Atlético de Madrid
20 years
Portuguese
Half Point
Substitute for CR7 and hope from Portugal
Joao, the most expensive signing in the 2019 summer market with 126 million euros signed by Atlético de Madrid, is labeled as the heir of Cristiano Ronaldo , with whom he shares nationality. Paolo Futre , famous former Portuguese footballer, is one of those who supported this assumption in a talk with Il Corriere della Sera , spread by es.besoccer.com : "Joao will be the Ballon d'Or and Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement when he leaves football" .
Joao Félix stands out for his speed, dribbling, and knowing how to combine with his teammates . His good ball handling sometimes makes him dizzy because he tends to dribble too much, instead of opting for the simple play, a detail in which he has to work.
"It is clear that he is one of a kind. Joao is showing some forms that are already attracting attention," Futre added; while Bernardo Silva , Manchester City player, also his compatriot, assures: "he has a potential as I have not seen in almost any" .
“Todos sabemos que Joao es un un crack, que tiene mucho futuro por delante. A mí me tocó jugar con el Oporto contra él en el Benfica y me parecía ya un jugadorazo. Súper inteligente a la hora de posicionarse en el partido”, Héctor Herrera, futbolista.
Virtues
Shooting 80 points out of 100
Chance creation 65 points out of 100
Take on 52 points out of 100
Distribution 45 points out of 100
* Evaluation obtained in the portal: https://football-observatory.com
His value at 81 million euros places him…
Most valuable player in the world Position 12
As the most valuable player in LaLiga Position 3
Most valuable player in his country Position 1
As the most valuable midfielder in the world Position 1
Valuation according to the portal https://www.transfermarkt.es
Erling haaland
Borussia Dortmund
Norwegian
20 years
Center forward
Even better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Stanislav Macek , youth coach at Salzburg, Erling Haaland's former team, admitted in a chat with en.as.com that the Norwegian forward “is a modern Ibrahimovic. Even so much better on the go, faster. And he has a great mentality when it comes to facing the game and the profession ” .
In January 2020 Erling confirmed in his presentation with Borussia Dortmund the potential for which he was signed: he entered at minute 56 of the match, just when his team was losing to Augsburg, to give his team another direction: “When they got leading 3-1, I thought about scoring a hat-trick and that's how it was, " said the Norwegian, highlighted by the German league portal: " Never before in the history of the Bundesliga has a rookie managed to score such a fast hat-trick” .
Haaland is explosive, fast and forceful. He has great athletic strength and is very demanding of himself, as described by Lucien Favre , his coach at Dortmund, in a slogan posted on sport.es : "If Haaland misses a goal in training, he pulls his hair . " And with great expectation he adds: "We know that he has scored many goals in the Champions League and still has a lot of room for evolution . "
“Es justo decir que puede ser el sucesor de Messi y Cristiano. Está en el lugar adecuado y está mejorando, marcando y dando pases. ¿Haría lo mismo en el Madrid o en el United? Está donde tiene que estar. Sería un error que se fuese, aunque no me sorprendería que pronto paguen por él 200 millones y lo vendan”, Dimitar Berbatov, exfutbolista.
Virtues
Shooting 84 points out of 100
Chance creation 55 points out of 100
Take on 49 points out of 100
Distribution 22 points out of 100
* Evaluation obtained in the portal: https://football-observatory.com
His value at 72 million euros places him…
Most valuable player in the world Position 22
Most valuable player in the Bundesliga Position 5
Most valuable player in his country Position 1
As World's Most Valuable Center Forward Position 3
Valuation according to the portal https://www.transfermarkt.es
Note: * The data from https://football-observatory.com correspond to evaluations obtained based on the last 1000 minutes played by each player in the matches of their corresponding leagues.