The debate regarding Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is nearing its end, with both players at the end of their careers. However, the football world is entering a new discussion regarding Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry kicked off the debate this week, stating that in his eyes, Mbappé is a better player than Haaland. The panel debated the topic on Friday’s edition of L’Equipe du Soir (h/t Canal Supporters).
French football pundit Grégory Schneider disagrees with Henry regarding Mbappé being the better player than Haaland, noting that the former France international must not have seen the striker during his tenure at Borussia Dortmund.
“I have no doubts about the fact that Mbappé is creative; he is often at the start of the actions and then at the end,” Schneider said. “But [Thierry Henry] must not have seen Haaland for three years because I saw him do absolutely everything on the pitch.
“I’ve seen him shine in transitional play with Dortmund, I’ve seen him step aside, I’ve seen him be at the start of actions and then at the end. Where there is a little something in what Henry says is that Manchester City is changing Haaland. They are in the process of making him a pure surface player. But the Haaland player is not that. I’m quite surprised that it’s being denigrated like that.”
Both players are in their early 20s, so as a result, this could be the debate that many pundits and fans will have over the next decade should they continue in this form and health permit.
If both players should meet in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League this season, there will be more debates and people picking sides.
