According to former coach Fabio Capello, not Erling Haaland, but Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe will form a new pair of arch-rivals, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo did.
Ronaldo and Messi have been competing for goals, individual and team titles for more than 10 years. They even took turns dominating the Ballon d'Or from 2008, until Luka Modric won the award in France Football magazine's 2018 vote. After that, Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2019, 2021, 2023 and became the first player to win the world's most prestigious individual award eight times.
For many years, experts have said that in the future Haaland and Mbappe will be the new rival pair in football. However, in the Spanish newspaper Marca recently, when asked if Mbappe and Haaland are the two most suitable players to take over the position of Messi and Ronaldo, Capello replied: "No, no. It will be Mbappe and Bellingham. For me, the two players who will fight like Messi and Ronaldo did are Mbappe and Bellingham."
Bellingham (left) and Mbappe compete in national team colors. Photo: AFP
Bellingham is currently playing for Real, after moving from Dortmund for $110 million in the summer of 2023. The English midfielder is making a strong impression when leading the La Liga top scorer list with 14 goals, including a double in the 2-1 comeback win over Barca in La Liga. He also contributed four goals and three assists in five matches in the Champions League group stage. Bellingham is also the owner of the "Golden Boy" title in 2023.
According to the CIES Sports Research Center, Bellingham is currently worth about $293 million - the highest in the world. Haaland is second with $275 million.
"Bellingham is a complete player who knows how to do everything," Capello praised the England international. "Bellingham plays at a very high level and has great quality. There are players who are complete but at an average or high level, but Bellingham is complete at a very high level, capable of making the difference. He does things you cannot imagine. Some of the passes, the movements that Bellingham makes are very unique."
In 2023, Messi played 37 matches, scored 26 goals and assisted 12 times for PSG, Argentina and Inter Miami. The Argentine star won Ligue 1 with PSG, helping Inter Miami win the Leagues Cup - the first title in the club's history. Despite causing controversy, he still won the 2023 FIFA Men's Player of the Year award - which was predicted to go to Haaland.
Meanwhile, at the age of 38, Ronaldo is the player with the most goals in 2023 with 54 goals. Behind the Portuguese striker are Harry Kane and Mbappe with 52 goals each, while Haaland ends 2023 with 50 goals. "Ronaldo is a machine whose fuel is goals. That is Ronaldo's talent and helps him continue to explode as the years go by," Capello praised.
Capello is one of the most successful coaches in European football history. He won four Serie A titles, one Champions League with AC Milan, one Serie A title with AS Roma and two La Liga titles with Real. He retired in 2018, aged 72, after managing Jiangsu, China.
Hong Duy
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