Enzo Fernandez Names Kylian Mbappe As Player Next After Messi and Ronaldo

• The era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating football is almost at the end of its time
• New superstars who could be the face of football for the upcoming years are emerging
• Kylian Mbappe is highly favoured to be the biggest of them all with what he has achieved so far

The era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance in football is coming to an end, with the two having dominated the sport for nearly 15 years.

Since 2008, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema have been the only players other than those two to win the coveted Ballon d'Or in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

Messi is still in the running for a possible record-extending Ballon d'Or this year, along with next-generation superstars Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, and it could be his last podium appearance after he left Europe for Inter Miami.

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Mbappe and Haaland are expected to take the baton from Messi and Ronaldo, and with varying levels of achievement so far, they have shown that they are capable of leading the sport.

Enzo Fernandez rates Mbappe highly

The debate on who will be the greatest among the two has already begun, even before the superstars of the last 15 years have exited the stage.

Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez, speaking to Mexican journalist Rodrigo Lára, was asked to name three players capable of taking over from Messi and Ronaldo, but he named one.

"It’s very hard to say it, but I think Kylian Mbappe is that type of player," he said, as quoted by AlbicelesteTalk.

Mbappe won the 2018 World Cup with France as a teenager and was named the tournament's Young Player of the Year. Fernandez succeeded him as the 2022 World Cup winner and also picked up the individual award after helping Argentina defeat France in Qatar.

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The 24-year-old PSG star has a loaded trophy cabinet. Still, it is missing the UEFA Champions League and he has been advised by English pundit Jamie Carragher to leave the French capital for Real Madrid, as reported by Marca.

Ferdinand picks Mbappe over Haaland

Sports Brief also reported that Rio Ferdinand picked Mbappe over Haaland as the better all-round player between the two superstars.

Ferdinand applauded Erling Haaland as a crazy goalscorer but boldly claimed that by the end of their careers, the France international would be regarded as the better player.