3 young players who could fill the shoes of Messi and Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the greatest names in football world have had a fierce rivalry throughout the past decade, and the debate still continues about who is the better player and eventually, the greatest of all time.

What makes their rivalry so impressive is that we are seeing both the players amassing honours, winning numerous titles and scoring ridiculous amounts of goals every single season. Before them, the idea of a player scoring more than 50 goals year after year was deemed fantasy. Both players have surely set a very high bar for future players of the beautiful sport.

However, their extraordinary reign will be ending in a few years as the Portuguese star has just turned 34 this February and the Argentinian will be turning 32 in June. New emerging stars will have to reach very high to touch the bars these two legends have set to make their mark in history as one of the greatest.

Here are few young talents who may go on to become the best players in the world in coming years.

#3 Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho has managed to become a full England international and Borussia Dortmund star at the age of 18. He now wears the Dortmund's number seven shirt after the departure of Ousmane Dembele.

With big shoes to fill at Dortmund, the south London born forward has netted eight goals and made 15 assists in the Bundesliga. Sancho has sharp vision, crisp passing and lethal dribbling skills to create chances and score goals. Although he has shown versatility in his playing position by playing as a forward, winger and midfielder, he has given his best performances as an attacking midfielder, proving himself deadly behind the striker.

He was also voted player of the tournament in the Under‑17 European Championship. Although he is nowhere near the level of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he has loads of potential and plenty of time in his hand to walk in the footsteps of the two legends.

#2 Vinicius Junior

Real Madrid signed Vinicius Junior from Flamengo in a massive €45 million deal. The Brazilian first started showing talent as a five-year-old but he had to wait until he was 10 before he could join Flamengo's youth academy.

With the Spanish capital club's all time top scorer waltzing off to Juventus and the 18-year-old acquiring his position during a time of crisis, Vinicius Junior had heavy pressure laid upon him. Gareth Bale was expected to cover the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Brazilian stepped up.

In a span of a few games, the Brazilian has given stellar performances with his box of party tricks and lethal combination of speed and skill, often giving defenders a tough time. Although,he has all the skills and tricks to be a world class winger in the future, he lacks consistency in front of the goal and struggles in converting chances.

As the Brazilian has only played at an elite level for a few months, it is too soon to make big proclamations about how good he really is. But now with Zidane back in the picture, it is safe to say that the 18-year-old is in the right hands and has all the potential to be a future star.

#1 Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappé is such a quality player that he is rarely compared with players his own age, but rather with some of the biggest names in world football including Messi and Ronaldo.

Mbappé burst into stardom at the age of 18 when French side Paris Saint Germain agreed to pay a whooping €180 million to AS Monaco. For the French side, he performed incredibly well alongside star teammates Neymar and Edinson Cavani and on a number of occasions, the starlet outshone his bigger-name teammates.

This earned him a spot in France national team heading to Russia for the FIFA World Cup. It was at this stage where he performed commendably well and turned himself into a global star. He finished as the joint second highest goalscorer scoring four goals and received the Best Young Player award. He also became the first teenager to score in a World Cup final in 60 years, the last being none other than Brazilian soccer legend Pelé.

The 20-year-old can tear through defenders at a blink of an eye with his blazing pace and phenomenal skill set. There is no doubt that he is a world class player who can go on to become the best player in the world.