Is world football entering a new era, one that does not revolve around just two names — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? This year, in the Champions League quarter-finals stage, neither Messi nor Ronaldo will feature. The last time that happened, 2005, was so far back that it may as well have been in a different lifetime. It was the year that the first video was uploaded on YouTube and George Bush Jr began a second term as President of the United States. Ever since, football has lived in a world created by Messi and Ronaldo.
It is only natural that age does its thing to even the most preternaturally gifted athlete, thoughboth these players continue to score thrilling goals with regularity. What would the new football world order look like?The man tipped to be the next emperor of the game is already a rising star; France and PSG striker Kylian Mbappe is only 22 and his explosive pace, flair for dribbling and phenomenal skills make him a natural frontrunner to the throne. Dortmund’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is another young player with marvellous goalscoring abilities with a rare gift — he is tall (6ft4), but has the agility and mobility that’s usually the preserve of players of Messi’s height (5ft7). Both are in the Champions League.
The team expected to win the European title, Bayern Munich, has a 20-year-old Canadian winger, Alphonso Davies, from whom great things are expected. Manchester City, also in the quarter-finals, has already made 20-year-old forward Phil Foden a regular. Perhaps, the post Messi-Ronaldo era will not be dominated by one or two ultra-prolific goal-scorers like Mbappe or Haaland, but by that most vital cog of this team sport — a midfield maestro.
{{/usCountry}}The team expected to win the European title, Bayern Munich, has a 20-year-old Canadian winger, Alphonso Davies, from whom great things are expected. Manchester City, also in the quarter-finals, has already made 20-year-old forward Phil Foden a regular. Perhaps, the post Messi-Ronaldo era will not be dominated by one or two ultra-prolific goal-scorers like Mbappe or Haaland, but by that most vital cog of this team sport — a midfield maestro.
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