Comparing Bukayo Saka to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Before Their 22nd Birthdays

• Bukayo Saka is one of the most highly-rated young wingers in the world
• He has become the mainstay at Arsenal and the England national team
• He also carries the 'burden' of delivering on his potential

Bukayo Saka turned 22 on September 5, 2022. Highly rated as one of England's best young players, he is fast becoming a man.

He is a first-team regular for club and country and recently earned a nomination for the 2023 Ballon d'Or. His progressive year for Arsenal and England was unfortunately not capped with a trophy.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are approaching the end of their careers. It can be unfair to make comparisons with them to any player in world football, but in their early years, they were similar to many of today's youngsters. Saka is far from an all-time great at 22, but has plenty of space to grow.

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As first analysed by Planet Football, how does he compare to the two all-time greats when they were at the same age?

Lionel Messi at 22

Before his 22nd birthday, the 2022 World Cup winner was already a world-class star, having won three La Liga titles, and one UEFA Champions League. He had been named the league's best player once, and also won the coveted Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2009.

He had played 200 games and contributed 92 goals, 54 of which came in the league, while 16 came in the UCL. He contributed 46 assists, averaging a goal or an assist in 102.5 minutes of action.

Cristiano Ronaldo at 22

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's best years came just after he turned 22, when he won his first Premier League title with Manchester United and was named both the player and young player of the year. Before that, he was not as big a star as he had won only a Portuguese Super Cup, FA Cup, and League Cup.

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He had played 242 games and had an attacking return of 62 goals and 44 assists, averaging a contribution every 156 minutes. He was yet to have a Champions League goal, which is astonishing when you think that he is no the leading scorer in the competition, with 140 goals.

How Saka compares

Before September 5, Saka had provided more assists (51) than both legends, despite only playing 212 games. His goal-scoring ranks behind the two, while his average attacking contribution every 152.3 minutes is better than the Al-Nassr forward's. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award last week, which Ronaldo won at 23.

Like Ronaldo, he has zero Champions League goals and is without an appearance in the competition. Arsenal qualified for the first time in eight seasons, and the two-time England player of the year will debut against RC Lens.

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Ronaldo ends GOAT war

Sports Brief also reported on Ronaldo ending the GOAT battle he has had with Messi after declaring that the rivalry between him and the Argentine is over at a Portugal press conference yesterday. It has lasted 15 years.

Football is awaiting its next generation of superstars to compete at the top level for the years to come. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are strong contenders, as the Manchester City forward prepares to battle for the 2023 Ballon d'Or with Messi.