- Haaland & Mbappe considered contemporary greats
- Both superstars have been sensational with their goal-scoring exploits
- Yet Louis Saha believes they cannot match the levels of Ronaldo & Messi
WHAT HAPPENED?
Both Ronaldo and Messi have left the European centre stage and have set sail for the Saudi Pro League and the MLS respectively. And in the absence of the two stalwarts, Mbappe and Haaland are being touted as their heirs to the vacant throne.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Haaland has taken a march over Mbappe by winning the treble with Manchester City in 2022-23 but had an underwhelming season – according to his lofty standards- with 38 goals in 45 matches. However, the French superstar is not far behind as he boasts of a World Cup gold medal and two consecutive final appearances to claim a seat among the greatest.
WHAT LOUIS SAHA SAID
Nonetheless, Manchester United legend, Loius Saha, is convinced that neither Mbappe nor Haaland can surpass the levels of Messi and Ronaldo.
“I totally understand why there are so many fans of Lionel Messi and I totally understand why myself and a lot of other people are fans of Cristiano Ronaldo,” he told OLBG.
“You can’t really separate those two guys because they are tremendous talents and they’re not at all the same. It’s just two different players. One is almost a natural genius in Messi who had to adapt his game to be the very best for his size and height. Ronaldo has used his height and power to go and score over 900 goals. So you have two different players with different styles and attributes.
“Those are the two players in this era who have simply topped their talent, their potential. You can’t ask much more. You will never see it again. You may have Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe fighting for 10 years but it’s never going to be close in terms of greatness, if they want to catch Messi and Ronaldo then they have to score 50 goals a season for the remainder of their careers, it’s impossible.”
WHAT NEXT?
Mbappe and Ronaldo might face each other in the upcoming European Championship, whereas Haaland will be looking forward to the season break after a demanding campaign with Manchester City. Meanwhile, Messi should take the pitch against Philadelphia Union in the MLS with Inter Miami on Saturday evening.
