“Takes my breath away with the levels he’s reaching” - When Wayne Rooney named best player in the world that wasn’t Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi

The GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been raging for over two decades now, and many prominent names, including players and pundits, have taken their pick.

While the Portuguese and Argentine still continue to win honors and create records, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney once opined that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland had become the world's greatest player since joining the club in 2022. Rooney said in 2023 (as quoted by the Times):

"Erling Haaland is the best footballer in the world right now."

Rooney continued:

"Lionel Messi is the greatest but, at this moment, nobody is playing better than a striker who — even though I broke records in that position myself — takes my breath away with the levels he’s reaching. He’s the best in the world because of the numbers he’s posting, the performances he’s putting in and the mentality he shows."

Erling Haaland has scored 82 goals in 89 appearances for Manchester City, with 55 of those coming in the Premier League. In his first year with the club, the 23-year-old Norwegian broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season (36) while helping City win the historic treble (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League).

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"Like Messi and Ronaldo did, he could dominate the game for 10 years" - Wayne Rooney on Erling Haaland

Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer also predicted that Erling Haaland, along with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe, would dominate the sport over the next decade. Wayne Rooney said (via the aforementioned source):

“We’ve had the era of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, now this is his time, the era of Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. When there is a talent like him around you just have to enjoy it — even if he is wearing a Manchester City shirt."

Speaking more about Haaland, Rooney added:

"There’s something raw about how he plays, his hunger to score is huge. Like Messi and Ronaldo did, he could dominate the game for 10 years."

Kylian Mbappe has scored 251 goals and provided 107 assists in 300 games for PSG, helping the French giants win Ligue 1 five times in the last six seasons. He also played a pivotal role in France's triumph at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and their run to the final in 2022, winning the tournament's Golden Boot in the latter.