Haaland and Mbappe catches the eye ... and Ronaldo and Messi disappoint
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The two promising strikers, French Kylian Mbappe and Norwegian Erling Haaland, drew remarkable attention at the opening of the first leg of the final round of the UEFA Champions League football competition and drew a promising competition that overshadowed the suffering of Argentine veteran Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
From an outstanding performance to an outstanding performance, Mbappe (22 years) and Haaland (20 years) have redesigned the scene that has been shaped for more than a decade by the achievements of Messi (33 years) and Ronaldo (36 years).
The Parisian striker became the first player to score a hat-trick at Camp Nou in the Champions League competition since it was done by Ukrainian Andrei Shevchenko in 1997, when the French Paris Saint-Germain star contributed to the broad victory over Barcelona, Spain, 4-1, on Tuesday.
The next day, Haaland hit hard, scoring a brace for Borussia Dortmund against host Sevilla (3-2), with his making the first goal scored by Mahmoud Daoud, of Syrian origin.
Haaland commented on his achievement against the Andalusian team, smiling, "When I saw Mbappe score three goals yesterday (Tuesday), it motivated me. So thank you!"
Mbappe is distinguished by speed and dribbling, and Haaland is powerful and long-range shots, but what catches the eye is their playing style.
"I think Paris Saint-Germain has a very big star for the future, he will be at the level of Leo (Messi) or Cristiano (Ronaldo)," said Barcelona international French striker Antoine Griezmann of his compatriot Mbappe.
On the other hand, Sevilla coach Gulen Lopetegui described the Norwegian giant (1.94 m) as belonging to "the best players in the world in attack."
Moreover, Haaland is one goal away to equal Mbappe’s record (19 goals) in the number of goals scored in the prestigious continental competition before reaching the age of twenty-one.
At that age, Messi scored eight goals, while Ronaldo had not scored a single goal.
"It's about handing over power. It could be the next competition, which will last 10 years," said British BT Sport analyst, former Manchester United and England defense mogul Rio Ferdinand.
The popular sports program "Sportshaw", broadcast by the German channel "ARD", summed up the issue as "The Next Generation: Mbappe and Haaland are stealing the stardom of Messi and Ronaldo in the Champions League."
In Spain, netizens were involved in a big debate about which of the two players Real Madrid should sign to fill the gap left by the departure of "CR7" to Juventus in the summer of 2018. "It appears that Haaland is a player," said the journalist of the Spanish sports newspaper AS "He knows how to finish the attacks, the final touch, while Mbappe has more qualifications."
Two legged lions are controversial
Eleven golden balls between them, nine Champions League titles, 134 goals for Cristiano and 119 for Messi in the continental competition ... Messi and Ronaldo have soared over the course of a decade, like wild animals that leave nothing but crumbs for others.
But it looks like they'll be content with a slice of cake this season.
The state of the "Bulga" when he left the Camp Nou stadium, with his head down and silent, contrasts with the anger of "CR7" after his team lost to FC Porto 1-2 on Wednesday.
"Don" Ronaldo Jam exploded his anger at the referee in the stoppage time, calling in vain for a penalty kick after contact with a defender of the owners of the land.
But the Italian press focused rather on Thursday on his performance in general in the match, which was disappointing.
"La Gazzetta dello Sport" newspaper wrote: "Mbappe was not motivated, it seemed as if he wanted to imitate Messi. Penalty or not, there are no excuses," noting that the Catalan club's only goal against Paris Saint-Germain was scored by Messi from a penalty kick.
The sky appears cloudy over the two stars: Messi, at the end of his contract, feeds rumors of his departure next summer, while "Juventus" Ronaldo, in poor condition and facing the risk of not winning the Serie A title for the first time since 2011. However, on the individual level, Messi shares (20 goals) ) And Ronaldo (23) similar statistics for Haaland (25) and Mbappe (21) this season.
"If you look at the performance of Messi and Ronaldo, they are still here. I heard some people asking if Mbappe can sit at their table. No, no, no ... He is an exceptional player, great, but he's young." "When he has three or four golden balls, we can discuss the matter," he added.
Will the veteran lions be able to bite again during their home games to save their reputation and their teams' bid farewell to the competition?
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