Haaland, Vinicius: Stars Who Can Rival Mbappe for Messi Ronaldo Throne

• The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era has officially arguably come to an end when the former won the World Cup
• Messi is still in contention for another Ballon d'Or title, but the onus is on Kylian Mbappe to take over imminently
• Mbappe has so far proven to be in a class of his own but there are a few stars who can push him and keep him on his toes

Kylian Mbappe underlined his credentials as the next big thing in world football by scoring a hattrick in the World Cup final against Argentina.

Well, in all fairness, he had already proven himself but the fact that Lionel Messi managed to beat him to the trophy shows that he still has to bid his time to take over. Messi winning the World Cup and best player makes him the frontrunner for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award.

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Football

With Cristiano Ronaldo slowly fading out of the picture alongside other stars such as Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski, Neymar and Luka Modric, Mbappe is perfectly placed to dominate football for the next 10 years (he's only 24).

Messi's legacy

Messi might have won a couple of Ballon d'Or's already by his 24th birthday which means Mbappe's work is cut out if he ever wants to achieve even half of what his PSG teammate has. Much of Messi's success, by own admission, boiled down to Ronaldo's industry which made him work harder.

Which begs the question who can push Mbappe to the limits? Will it be a one-man show? At the moment, the World Cup he won in 2018 gives him an advantage but Sports Brief takes a look at some of the prodigious talents who stand a chance.

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Football

1. Erling Haaland - 22 years

The goal machine. Haaland scores goals as easily as Usain Bolt used to win sprints. The only downside is that Haaland's chances of winning a trophy with Norway are very bleak.

2. Vinicius Junior - 22 years

With a Champions League-winning goal already under his belt, the Brazilian is destined for the stars. However, he will have to work tenfold on his end product to match the other people on this list.

3. Phil Foden - 22 years

He has been dubbed as the next Messi. And it is a good thing he is working with the same manager who made Messi the person he is today. He is yet to fully convince and has fallen victim to Guardiola constantly changing his starting XI, but the signs are there.

4. Jamal Musiala - 19 years

Were it not for Germany's disastrous outing in Qatar, Musiala would have ranked higher among the young players who impressed. With a magnetic foot that keeps the ball away from opponents and a keen eye to deliver defence-splitting passes, the Bayern Munich attacking midfielder is one to keep an eye on.

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5. Bukayo Saka - 21 years

Part of Arsenal's meteoric rise to the top of the Premier League table, Saka has taken to being the Gunners' point man in attack like a duck to water. It still remains to be seen how serious Arsenal's title challenge is and whether Saka can reach the expected heights in North London.

The race is on!

Honourable mentions to Jude Bellingham, Pedri and Gavi who are also talented but the fact that they are not outright attackers might not play into their hands.

Top 10 world cup goals

Sports Brief has also reported that FIFA has officially unveiled a list of 10 goals which the 2022 World Cup Goal of tournament will be picked from.

The Qatar World Cup did not disappoint with Lionel Messi's Argentina having the final say after an epic final against France.

Messi's rasping effort against Mexico has however been overlooked in the FIFA list with Richarlison's acrobatic effort for Brazil against Serbia the frontrunner to bag the award.