“When you play against them you don’t know how to stop him” - Casemiro names 4 players who can become heirs to Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi

Casemiro has shared his thoughts on who he believes could become the heirs to two of the greatest players in the sport’s history, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Brazilian midfielder, who currently plies his trade for Manchester United, named Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, and Federico Valverde as the players who could fill the shoes of the two footballing icons.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have become the benchmark to measure football greatness due to their dominance in the sport. The duo dominated the game for almost 15 years, sharing 13 Ballons d’Or between them. While both the players are no longer in their prime, their legacy will forever remain.

Casemiro, who had the opportunity to play with and against some footballing greats, including Messi and Ronaldo, recently shared his take on who he thought could take over the mantle from the duo. Speaking to Diario AS, Casemiro tipped Kylian Mbappe to achieve the heights of Messi and Ronaldo and also reckoned three of his Real Madrid teammates to follow suit:

"He [Mbappe] is one of those players that when you play against them you don't know how to stop him.eHe's not [on top of] the podium yet, but he'll get there. He's the heir to [Messi and Ronaldo], along with Vinicius Jr, who continues to grow and improve in every game, Rodrygo, and Fede Valverde."

Casemiro makes his stance clear on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

In the same interview, Casemiro also weighed in on the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian midfielder shared the locker room with Ronaldo at both Real Madrid and Manchester United.

While acknowledging Messi’s qualities, Casemiro appeared to support Ronaldo, mentioning the Portuguese star’s name first in his ranking.

"It's difficult to explain. Messi was one of the best players in history, but we had another player, Cristiano Ronaldo. What they both did is unrepeatable. In my generation the best were Cristiano, Messi... and I would add Neymar a little behind them. I put him on the podium. But Cristiano and Messi did a lot for football and they changed it. Just like Guardiola changed football with the tiki-taka, these two changed it too. 50 goals a season and it seemed like something normal. Those two players will stay in our memories. And we won those Champions Leagues with Zidane too, who marked an era."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo no longer play in Europe. The former plies his trade with Inter Miami in the MLS while the latter plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.