For well over a decade, the elite level of all things soccer has been dominated by the larger-than-life characters of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. With 12 Ballons d’Or between them, the Argentine and Portuguese superstars have transcended their profession and redefined what rivalry means in sporting circles.
To have two all-time greats competing in the same era, with their paths to immortality intertwining, is rare and has only served to enhance the legacy that will be left behind once both have decided to hang up their boots for the final time.
Crowns
Haaland 🤝 Mbappé. The next generation. #UCL pic.twitter.com/pr5UDWDAzr
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 11, 2022
That day may not be too far off as, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Many have been dreading said occasion, with it looking for a long time as though no suitable heirs would step forward ready to inherit the crowns of Messi and Ronaldo.
Two candidates may, however, have materialized as they prepare to embark on their own heroic adventures that promise to see swords locked on a regular basis in a thrilling battle for individual and collective supremacy.
It was always going to take something special to follow in the footsteps of Messi and Ronaldo, but Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland appear ready to tick that box. Both have burst onto a senior stage amid a flurry of goals, major silverware, and feats of the apparently superhuman variety.
Domestic and continental prizes are now very much in their sights, with the Champions League providing a fitting stage on which to scrap it out for the right to be considered the very best in the business. There is nothing to split them at present when it comes to top goalscorer betting in elite European competition for 2022-23, with both men being priced as +175 shots.
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are expected to go deep into that tournament, as +700 and +180 shots respectively, and a captivated audience watching on from afar can use the live markets for sport at BetUK – which includes everything from end results to total goals via corner and card counts – to try and separate contenders from pretenders and boots of the 24-carat golden variety from those constructed of fool’s gold.
It promises to be quite the spectacle, and one deserving of providing the sequel to what has been a sporting blockbuster featuring Messi and Ronaldo in the lead roles. Mbappe and Haaland are no longer members of the supporting cast, they are headline acts in their own right.
Benefits
…Haaland and Mbappe battle it out in El Clasico for years to come… ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lvwkrBc9rg
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 26, 2021
Haaland has been doing his best to play down talk of a long-running rivalry with Mbappe unfolding, but he can see the benefits of having somebody to compete with. The Norwegian striker has said: “I think the media has been doing that with Ronaldo and Messi for the last 10 years and I think they’ve been pushing each other as well. I think it’s been a positive thing.”
The emergence of two more potential world-beaters should have a global audience of billions moving towards the edge of their seats, even if the stars of the show are eager to rein in expectations, with it exciting to think that – after being spoiled for so long by icons of the past and present – another duel of epic proportions that promises to fascinate future generations is just getting started.
