Former Manchester United and England striker, Wayne Rooney believes that Erling Haaland will be the next great player since the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
As their individual careers is gradually coming to an end, the two greats who have won 12 Ballons d’Or awards between them still seem to have enough left in the tank.
It is now up to the next generation to show that they can follow in the most renowned of footsteps after Messi and Ronaldo helped to lift the standard of individual brilliance in football circles to never-before-seen heights.
Among those prepared to lead that drive is Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain.
But Rooney believes that Haaland, who has 48 goals to his name in 42 games this season will be the next player to win the Balon D’Or award.
“Erling Haaland is currently the best footballer in the world right now“, according to Rooney, who stated this in The Times.
“Lionel Messi is the best, but right now, no player is performing better than Haaland”.
“Despite the fact that I set records in that position myself, it’s astonishing with the levels he is achieving”.
“The stats he’s putting up, the performances he’s giving, and the mentality he exhibits make him the best in the world“.
Since joining City in a £51 million deal from Borussia Dortmund last summer, Haaland has been a revelation.
If he were to lead Pep Guardiola’s team to a Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League triple, he would be a major Ballon d’Or contender.