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When historians compile data on various golden eras in football, the years from 2008 up until probably 2019 will simply be known as the Cristiano Ronaldo/Lionel Messi years.
Such has been the dominance of these two footballing legends that one of the greater arguments over these last 9 years has been the identity of the third best player in the world.
Various players have staked claims to this funniest of thrones but none has delivered with the consistency required to get to the level of the aforementioned duo and make the Dynamic Duo into the Terrific Trident.
Fernando Torres, Arjen Robben, Luis Suarez, Franck Ribery, Neymar, Sergio Aguero, Andres Iniesta are some of the world-class names that have struggled in the shadows of the great duo.
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Like every other thing in life, Father Time is beginning to remind us that these two legends are slowly but surely approaching the twilight of their careers.
Nature abhors a vacuum and some of the lesser (in comparison to Cristiano and Leo of course) are beginning to stake their claims to the Iron Throne. Here, we will take a look at five of them.
#5 Isco (Real Madrid and Spain)
Like other players on this list, Francisco “Isco” Román Alarcón Suárez has been compared to a star player way before he became the star he is today. Isco has been compared to Nou Camp legend Andres Iniesta from his youth setup days at Valencia.
Close control, neat dribbling, chance creation and a decent scoring record have made Isco into one of the top midfielders but the journey hasn’t always been this smooth.
After his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013, Isco meet a team full of class and initially struggled to nail down a spot. After being underused by a succession of Real Madrid coaches; Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Zinedine Zidane (initially), the native Andalusian has embraced the challenge of playing for the world’s biggest club and is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
A firm fan favourite, Isco has everything in his locker to emulate the great No 10s in recent history; Zidane, Del Piero, Totti and surpass these legends.
He has become a key player in the Spanish national team setup and will be looking to stake his claim to the seat of his idol, Messi by adding to his already impressive trophy haul.
#4 Paulo Dybala (Juventus and Argentina)
For a very long time, Argentine football was searching for the natural successor to Diego Maradona. Pablo Aimar, Ariel Ortega and so many diminutive, technical players suffered under the burden of being compared to Armando until the arrival of Leo on the stage.
Now, the Albiceleste may have already found the successor to Leo, even before the maestro retires, in Paulo Dybala.
La Joya (The Jewel) as Dybala is popularly called has emerged as the most important player for La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) even more than record signing Gonzalo Higuain.
The left-footed baby-faced assassin may not have the explosive pace of Messi but he has been blessed with a sweet left foot combined with superb finishing and a brain that sees things 10 seconds quicker than other players on the pitch.
Dybala has settled into his role in a star-studded Juve team with aplomb and his performances have helped to negate any feelings of loss occasioned by the departures of Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba.
With 10 goals already this season and being firmly in Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli’s plans, the kid from Córdoba has already being spoken of as Messi’s heir at both Barcelona and the Argentine national team and he might just inherit his Ballon d’Or throne as well.
#3 Kylian Mbappé (PSG and France)
The searing pace, amazing dribbles and unerring finishing. No, it’s not Thierry Henry but rather the 18-year-old tyro; Kylian Lottin Mbappé that has taken French and European football by storm.
The youngster’s ascent to the pinnacle of football has been nothing short of rapid and it seems to be a journey that is set to culminate in being crowned the world’s premier footballer.
Amazingly, this is just his second full season as a professional footballer and there is a sense around the young man that his ceiling will approach that of Messi and Ronaldo; childhood prodigies who have blossomed to star men.
Following from his first full season at AS Monaco where his performances and goals propelled Les Rouges et Blancs (The Red and Whites) to a historic Ligue 1 title as well as a semi-final appearance in the UEFA Champions League, the kid from Paris was courted by a lot of major European sides until French giants PSG won the bid for his services with an initial loan deal followed by a reported €180m transfer fee to be paid next season.
Mbappé has demonstrated the skills and touch of a markedly older player and has already shown that these skills can be transferred to the national setup with the forward already being capped 6 times by France.
It remains to be seen how effective he will be operating under the shadow of more illustrious colleagues at both club (Neymar, Edinson Cavani) and national level (Griezmann, Pogba et al) but one thing is sure, this kid has everything it takes to surpass even the French legend to whom he is repeatedly compared.
#2 Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Belgium)
One of the standout performers in a league that is big on money but short on genuine game-changing star quality, Hazard will rightly believe that he has what it takes to ascend to the glided thrones that are the Ballon d’Or and The Best awards.
Notable for his close control skills, dribbling ability and unselfish play, Eden has become the focal point for Premier League champions Chelsea and an unsellable asset who is central to the club’s hope of truly becoming a member of European football’s aristocracy.
Hazard’s ascendancy has been a steady one from his days at Lille where he drove the team to win its first Ligue 1 title in a very long time.
His move to Chelsea has cemented his reputation as a big-name player with the club resisting any attempt by clubs like Real Madrid to steal away their prize asset.
In terms of having a low centre of gravity and generally unselfish play, he is perhaps the closest player to Messi and has consistently expressed his admiration for the Argentine and his desire to emulate his achievements.
His exploits for the Red Devils of Belgium have also been exceptional with coach Roberto Martinez banking on him to lead the very talented team to glory in Russia 2018.
#1 Neymar (PSG and Brazil)
The overwhelming favourite to break the Messi/Ronaldo duopoly and talisman of the Seleção, Neymar has been thought about as the saviour of Brazilian football ever since his early days at Santos & the dynamic guy is surely living up to these expectations.
With his silky touches, close control, mazy dribbling skills and infectious personality, the wonder boy from Mogi das Cruzes has everything in his locker to become the best player in the world.
After his very controversial move to FC Barcelona which led to the imprisonment of former club president Sandro Rosell and the tax dodging cases in Spanish & Brazilian courts, Neymar’s very effective partnership with Messi and Luis “El Pistolero” Suarez helped disabuse the notion that he was a Youtube stat padder who could not hack it at the biggest stages.
His world record move to PSG is the hallmark of a player who believes in his own abilities and wants to be front & centre stage doing his own thing.
Neymar’s stats at club and national level are staggering for a player yet to hit his 30s. He has become the centrepiece of a Brazilian team that is looking better than ever under coach Tite’s guidance and will be carrying the hopes of his football mad-nation as he did at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
