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#3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been one of the most consistent attackers in Europe over the past five years or so. He has been the focal point of the Merseysiders' attack in recent times and has played a starring role in Liverpool's return to the upper echelons of football.
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Neymar's contributions to Paris Saint-Germain have been similar and both players have a fighting mentality as well. They are also quite athletic, despite both being 29 years of age and it doesn't look like they will slow down any time soon.
Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot twice since joining Liverpool in 2017. Neymar has played a starring role in Paris Saint-Germain's journey to the final and the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons respectively.
When Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi eventually call it a day, Salah and Neymar will both be identified as two of football's biggest superstars. A rivalry could really take off from there.
#2 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) vs Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Bruno Fernandes vs Kevin De Bruyne is already one of the most full-fledged midfield rivalries and has only spanned one and a half seasons so far. The fact that both have been absolutely brilliant for the Manchester rivals only elevates the rivalry.
Bruno Fernandes is an excellent technician with a great eye for a pass. He is also more active in and around the box than Kevin De Bruyne. Thanks to his appetite for goals, Fernandes was able to outscore most Premier League strikers in the 2020-21 season.
He scored a total of 28 goals and provided 17 assists in 58 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions in the 2020-21 season. Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne was picked as the 2021 men's PFA Players' Player of the Year.
De Bruyne missed a bit of the 2020-21 season through injury but he was still heavily influential in Manchester City's Premier League and Carabao Cup success. The Belgian international was excellent for his national side at Euro 2020 as well.
De Bruyne is arguably the best midfielder of his generation and has been delivering consistently for the Cityzens. In the 2020-21 season, De Bruyne scored 10 goals and provided 18 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for his club.
Both Manchester City and Manchester United are tipped to be two of the favourites to win the Premier League in the 2021-22 season. The rivalry between the two incredible midfielders is set to have many more fascinating chapters given how strong the two teams are starting to look on paper.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are so young and are already so dominant that they are now being touted as the successors to Ronaldo and Messi. Both players are nightmares to defend against for defenders thanks to their ability with the ball at their feet and incredible physical attributes.
Mbappe's blistering pace, trickery and ability to take on defenders and jink past them and score goals for fun make him a dangerous proposition to go up against. He has been one of the best attackers in the world for several years now and it's a bit remarkable that he is still only 22-years-old.
Mbappe scored 42 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020-21 season. Erling Haaland has made a huge impact over the course of just two seasons. His numbers over the past two seasons have been at par with the very best in the business.
The Norwegian international will just turn 21 on July 21st, 2021. He is already the most sought-after striker in the world. There is no doubt that the two of them will go neck-to-neck for goalscoring records in the coming years. In the 2020-21 season, Haaland scored 41 goals and provided 12 assists from 41 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.
While the rivalry is set to become intense in the coming years, there is another interesting thing to note. Real Madrid are interested in signing both players. If Los Blancos can pull it off, then we'll have the privilege of seeing two of the best forwards in the world playing alongside each other.
