5 Players That Deserve To Be Compared With Messi And Ronaldo This Season

#4 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Everton v Manchester City - Premier League — Manchester City

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are highly regarded because they lead their respective teams to glory. Kevin De Bruyne has reached a similar level of impact this season, leading Manchester City to claim the Premier League title with a lot of incredible performances.

The efforts of the Belgian in City's rise is massive. In fact, he is simply the best player in Pep Guardiola's squad. De Bruyne played a pivotal role in The Cityzens' title triumph this season. Though a midfielder, the 26-year-old saw the back of the net on 8 different occasions in the English top flight. He is also the most creative player in Europe's top-5 leagues, with an incredible 15 assists to his name.

The playmaker was impressive in the UEFA Champions League as well. He scored once and set up a further 4 to lead his club to the quarter-finals of the European tournament. His 2 goals and 3 assists were also instrumental as Manchester City claimed the Carling Cup in February.

He has already won two trophies for his club, whereas Ronaldo is yet to win any and Messi has won just one for Barcelona. He also has more assists than the duo in both their domestic leagues and in the Champions League. Besides, he has also reached a similar level of consistency, inspiring The Cityzens since the beginning of the season till this moment.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Anirudh Menon