Who Is The Heir To The Football Throne?

In the tough times of the world right now, several questions have been going through my head. What if we do not get to see Kawhi vs Lebron in the Western Conference Finals this year? What if Tottenham Hotspur finishes above Arsenal this football season again? What if people are still drinking regular milk instead of Almond milk into the summer of 2020 (Seriously people, grow up). These are valid and serious questions that I, no that we, need answers to. Unfortunately, we might have to wait a while to get clarification on some of them. But one thing we can look towards is the future. And in the football world (Soccer to you silly North Americans) we have an exciting young core upcoming ready to challenge for the throne.

You have to overthrow the king before you even try to take that luxurious position. This is a standard procedure. I do not make the rules. But we have to ask ourselves, who is the current king (or kings) of football right now? Its undoubtedly between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This debate has and will continue to be talked about on who is the best player in the world between these two. It is fair to say, without me being slandered over the internet, that overall these two sit together on the throne. (Messi is 1A and Ronaldo is 1B, Don’t @ me thanks). But why are they at the top? You are about to find out…

A Pair Of Kings

Starting around 2006 and now in 2020, these two have been nothing short of phenomenal. Both unbelievable, extraordinary, remarkable. I have run of adjectives for these two. You get the point. Ronaldo and Messi are unlike anything football fans have ever seen before. It is quite spectacular how they have consistently been dominated over the years. Both of them have ruled over the football world for 14 years (and counting) and honestly have not looked like slowing down. An update on their stats is as follows: 

Statistics retried from https://messivsronaldo.net/all-time-stats/

From the stats we can see their goal scoring record and assists in the games played is just… wow. Let us look at the other statistics. For goals, Messi’s averages a goal every 82 minutes of a 90 minute football game. This means that every game he plays on average, Messi will score a goal. For Ronaldo, the average is every 73 minutes. So Ronaldo also on average will score a goal a game. Do you know how mad that is? It is basically guaranteed that Ronaldo and Messi will score in every game that they play on average. Sure, many other football players can and have done this. But the consistency that both these guys have done for 14 years is nothing short of unbelievable. The stats only tell half the story, as the performance and impact on the pitch both these players have are rare, and incredible. 

I can go on about these two for days but this article is not entirely about them. It is based on the future and eventually, Messi and Ronaldos will no longer be at the top. New challengers have come before them and a couple of players have made it known they are ready to duel.

Now we can take a look at the king position in football. This can not be elected, it is not gained through inheritance or marriage (that would be pretty weird). You have to earn it and take it by full force. What Messi and Ronaldo have done will most likely never be replicated. But records are meant to be broken and these two stars on the rise look capable of doing something comparable. We have our two contestants, let’s see how they match up against each other and who is likely to come out on top.

Challenger A: The One From Across The Pond

Jadon Sancho

This guy is good, extremely good. A special talent from Camberwell, England, Jadon Sancho has made himself known across the world at the tender age of 20 (how old are you? Exactly). After an issue with Manchester City about his playing time (they messed up big time), Sancho decided to travel to Germany and see how he would fair. He chose… wisely. 

Jadon joined Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and has not looked back. From the 2017/18 season till now, he has improved every year, contributing to his team every single game. An attacking winger, Sancho is extremely rapid, has dazzling skills moves and extremely effective on the pitch. In the 2018/2019 season, he scored 12 goals, assisted 14 in 42 games. Not bad for a 19-year-old who helped his side finish 2nd that season. This year though? He is on another level, a whole new wave and asserting himself as the new prince of the Bundesliga (But Serge Gnabry is closing the gap). 

Sancho has elevated his game this season and has scored 14 goals and given out 15 assists in 23 games. Absolute madness. The compelling thing about Sancho is that his game is simple but effective. He is willing to create for others first, rather than look for his own goals but is still lethal enough to get the job done and finish. All at the age of 20. Already a world-class player, Jadon Sancho has his best years ahead of him and I cannot wait to see how his future unfolds. The challenger across the table may have him beat for now though. You may already know who it is but if not, let us take a look.

Challenger B — The One They Call Kiki

Kylian Mbappe

They say he is the chosen one. They say he is the reincarnation of Thierry Henry (who is one of the greatest European players ever). What he has accomplished already at 21 years old, many strive to achieve their whole careers. An outstanding talent. And, he is French so ultimately, he was born with style and finesse. It is his veins, just like the greatness gene they injected him with at birth.

Kylian is a cheat code, a hack, a glitch in the matrix, that has been in the limelight since he was 11 years old. A player who can play across the frontline (either as a winger or as a striker) the boy wonder causes problems for the enemy wherever he is on the pitch. No one is safe. The accolades over the years he has collected so far speak for themselves. He is the youngest French player to score at a world cup, has won the Golden Boy award, and was Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for 3 seasons straight. He was an integral member of the French national team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Imagine being 18 and being a key member of your team winning one of the most prestigious cups in Football. What were you doing when you were 18 years old? Exactly.

Mbappe’s confidence and ability at his age just do no not add up. It is quite hard to understand how he is so good already (it was the injections). Young players in football (Usually classified as Under 23 years old) tend to just play all out. The majority of them have nothing to lose, but they have something to gain. So the young players go out there and play with heart and try to show the world they belong with the best also. But Kylian, this guy plays like a seasoned veteran. It is like he has played 10 years of football already and they just placed him in a genetically enhanced body to survive the modern game. I wish they made that for Alex Iwobi though… (I am a grieving Arsenal fan). It is not fair, especially for Arsenal fans nowadays (ha we suck), but at least Mbappe playing football is beautiful to watch. At least we have him.

Mbappe started his career at Monaco as a young prospect but once he moved to Paris St Germain, he became a generational talent for the world to marvel (DC is better) and appreciate. Last year, the 2018/2019 season, he went absolutely bonkers. In 46 games, he scored 40 goals and had 13 assists. Kylian, you need to relax, we get it, you are not human. Did he listen to me this season? Nope. So far this season, Mbappe has 33 goals and 16 assists in 38 games played. A special talent that is just streets ahead of the rest. What the future holds for Kylian is up to him. He has all the power. We hope and pray that he chooses wisely and does not go to Tottenham Hotspur. Screw every Spurs fan out there.

Enjoy the Journey

The best thing about this battle is that it is just starting. My caramel popcorn has been reloading and restocking the last couple of years watching these two. This war is far from over and I am all for it. But let us be real, Mbappe is winning right now. He is just different gravy at this point, but the sauce Sancho is making is coming in hot. We are lucky to be witnessing this but, it has come at a convenient time in history.

Various factors will come into play on how these two will dominate the game. Will Sancho leave Dortmund and come to the Premier League? Will Mbappe go to Real Madrid or Barcelona? Can we possibly see both of them in the same league as Ronaldo and Messi once did before? It is all up in the air right now. The perfect scenario to me is both of these players coming to the Premier League, playing for rival teams (Like a Manchester City vs Manchester Utd) and they battle it out like a few real ones. We will wait and see.

Thanks for reading, share this around and reply with an answer to this question.

“If you had to play for one team for your whole football career who would it be and why?”

#Footballprospects

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