The return of the Champions League this week certainly didn’t disappoint. And among the stand-out performances came the increasingly-normalised exploits of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
For years, many thought the goalscoring might of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi would be a great anomaly and that we would soon revert back to the days when the best player in the world would differ year on year. But Haaland’s double at Sevilla and Mbappe’s brace against Juventus were the latest evidence that the young duo could be about to top the feats of the superstar rivals.
With 22-year-old Haaland and Mbappe, 23, already demonstrating their devastating capabilities in front of goal, the earth-shattering records accomplished by the combined 13-time Ballon d’Or winners could well be smashed by the new kids on the block, whose frightening figures in their careers so far dwarf those of Ronaldo and Messi.
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Mbappe, at 23 years and 261 days old, has an impressive haul of 234 career goals, exceeding the totals of both Ronaldo and Messi at the same age, who had 121 and 188 respectively. And what is even more impressive is the fact that Haaland has 187 career goals, more than both footballing icons combined (159) by the time they reached his 22 years and 49 days.
The Norwegian sensation has enjoyed a fast start to life with Manchester City, scoring 12 goals in his first eight appearances. Ten of those have come in the Premier League in only six games, and he equalled the record for fewest matches to reach the figure. In this run he scored consecutive hat-tricks and his superb start sees him on course to hit 63 goals in the league alone.
When you compare this to Messi’s mesmerising year in 2012 when he scored 91 in all competitions, the Argentine’s La Liga total was 59, meaning Haaland is on course to surpass even Messi’s greatness at what was regarded to be his peak. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker turned 25 during that incredible run, and Haaland is already projected to hit these same heights at 22. This shows us how high his ceiling really is and that he is already in the same conversation as Messi and Ronaldo.
Those two forerunners of the modern era began breaking so many records - first seasonal, then career milestones - that audiences became desensitised to the huge numbers involved. Whether it was Champions League records, domestic season highs, longevity barriers or, in the case of Ronaldo, the highest all-time senior goal tally, each new report of a goalscoring achievement seemed only to water down the reviews of their brilliance.
But now we’re faced with the increasing likelihood of another duopoly to match, or perhaps even exceed, the rivalry of Ronaldo and Messi. In Haaland and Mbappe we have another pair of exceptionally talented front players, but there’s every chance that 10 years and multiple Ballons d’Or down the road we will be equally numb to the sheer scale of their accomplishments.
