Fabio Capello snubs Erling Haaland and names 2 players who can emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's rivalry

Former Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello believes Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham will take over the historic rivalry from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

In a recent interview with Marca, Capello was asked if the Mbappe vs Haaland rivalry will replace the Ronaldo vs. Messi rivalry in the coming years. Surprisingly, Capello named Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and Mbappe as the superstars of the coming generation. He said:

"For me, the two footballers who are going to fight like Messi and Cristiano did are Mbappe and Bellingham."

Explaining his response, Capello elaborated on why he doesn't think Erling Haaland will be in the mix. He added:

"The two of them have more technical quality than Haaland. The Norwegian is a tremendous forward, an animal, and he is also good technically, a goal-scoring man."

"But Mbappe and Bellingham have it all: goals, technical quality, dribbling... Haaland is an area player, the best as a pure forward, as number 9."

Jude Bellingham has had a fantastic start to life with Los Blancos since his switch from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The 20-year-old midfielder has scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 18 La Liga games for Real Madrid this season. In 132 appearances for Dortmund before his move to Spain, he scored 24 goals and provided 25 assists for the German giants.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has been one of the best players in the world in recent years, guiding France to two consecutive World Cup finals. He has won Ligue 1 six times already, five times with Paris Saint-Germain and once with AS Monaco.

Erling Haaland, while not in Capello's top picks, is currently on his way to becoming a goal-scoring legend. He has already broken the Premier League record, having scored 36 league goals last season for Manchester City. He also guided the Cityzens to a continental treble.

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Laure Boulleau criticizes Cristiano Ronaldo's Ligue 1 comments, suggests Lionel Messi dig

Former Paris Saint-Germain defender Laure Boulleau has called out Cristiano Ronaldo for his recent remarks about Ligue 1. During an event in Dubai, the legendary forward claimed that he finds the Saudi Pro League more competitive than France's Ligue 1.

This did not impress Boulleau, who believes Ronaldo's comments were motivated by Messi's two-year stint in the French top division. Talking on Canal+'s Canal Football Club, she said (via GOAL):

"I was really surprised by his communication. Why attack Ligue 1? Because Lionel Messi played here? I asked myself why he mentioned Ligue 1 and not other leagues. I already think it's out of his league to say that. I think he's played in plenty of other leagues, except this one, so I think it's a bit lame. It's not the league he knows best."

Boulleau also took a dig at the Saudi Pro League:

"Frankly, you watch Saudi Pro League matches and I honestly don't think it's true. I think it's a phrase of communication, of pride. He's got a big ego. But that doesn't stop me liking Cristiano Ronaldo very much, but I don't like statements like that at all."

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi left Europe last year, with Ronaldo opting for a move to the Middle East in January 2023. Messi, meanwhile, moved across the pond to join MLS side Inter Miami.