We have been fortunate enough to have witnessed some spectacular rivalries in sport down the years – John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg, Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier, Jack Nicklaus vs Arnold Palmer, Niki Lauda vs James Hunt all spring to mind.
Another rivalry that will go down in sporting folklore is the fascinating battle between footballing greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which is somehow still going on to this day.
The pair, who were former rivals in La Liga at Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, have won a remarkable 11 out of 12 Ballon d’Or titles since 2008 – with Messi winning a record sixth just the other week, while Ronaldo sits just one below.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed a fascinating battle for supremacy
Ronaldo (5) and Messi (6) have won a remarkable 11 out of the last 12 Ballon d’Or crowns
During the decade, Messi has scored an astonishing 368 goals to Ronaldo’s 334 – no other players comes anywhere near, with Luis Suarez third with a hugely respectable 233.
The pair’s superhuman powers don’t appear to be waning any time fast and we can count our lucky stars that we have been around during their era of utter dominance in the sport.
However, their authority is now under intense threat, with plenty of exciting youngsters emerging that are desperate to take their crown.
While it was Liverpool centre back Virgil van Dijk that came closest to pipping Messi to this year’s prestigious Ballon d’Or, the biggest long-term threat comes from those who have the world at their feet.
And one of those is France and Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, who has already rose to fame at the tender age of just 20.
The Frenchman burst onto the scene in style while at Monaco as a fresh-faced teenager, leading the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2017 and winning the Ligue 1 title the same year.
Mbappe then signed for rivals PSG on loan in the summer of 2017 before sealing an incredible permanent deal worth £166million, as he became the world’s most sought-after player.
PSG and France star Kylian Mbappe has his eyes firmly set on dominating the world of football
However, Mbappe will have serious competition for the throne from wonderkid Joao Felix
The 20-year-old Portuguese international won the prestigious Golden Boy award last month
And his rapid rise as a teenager culminated in winning the 2018 World Cup with France, where he scored four goals – including in the 4-2 victory against Croatia in the final in Moscow, Russia.
Europe’s most successful ever club, Real Madrid, have been eyeing a big-money move for Mbappe for a while now and they are targeting the French sensation to help build a dynasty at the Bernabeu, just like Ronaldo did.
It appears only a matter of time before the 20-year-old gets his hands on the coveted Ballon d’Or award but he is unlikely to have it all his own way, leading to a huge buzz about what we can expect over the next decade.
Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix has recently emerged as the leading candidate to do battle with Mbappe for world supremacy – and with the talented duo playing in similar forward positions, we could have a real cracker on our hands.
Felix earned a staggering £114m move to the La Liga giants in the summer, thanks to his fine form in Portugal with Benfica. Only Neymar, Mbappe and Philippe Coutinho have cost more in world football.
Felix, who also attracted interest from the likes of Manchester City, United and Real Madrid in the summer, was given the huge challenge of replacing France international Antoine Griezmann and was signed to lead a new revolution at the Wanda Metropolitano under the tutelage of Diego Simeone.
England international Jadon Sancho could potentially battle it out for the top spot in the future
Felix – the same age as Mbappe – has been heavily tipped to emulate Portuguese great Ronaldo for both club and country and has already been likened to Brazilian legend Kaka.
He has endured a mixed start to life in Madrid but we can’t read too much into this, with Atletico as a whole struggling to hit their best form with the future of Simeone up in the air – the club are fourth in La Liga and just scraped through to the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
Felix’s time will certainly come and if he can continue to learn from Ronaldo, then he could be destined for great things.
Just imagine, if Mbappe gets his dream move to Madrid in the future, then we could have a mouth-watering battle between the two in La Liga for the biggest individual award in football. Does that ring a bell?
But of course, there are plenty other names who believe they can have their say in the future.
Another rising star is currently also making headlines for himself in La Liga, and that player is Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati.
Messi has heaped praise on the 17-year-old winger, who has three goals in 12 appearances during his debut campaign in the Barcelona first team, saying: ‘I like him and I’ll try to help him.
Sancho’s compatriot, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, can improve even further
‘He is a fantastic player and has what it takes to succeed. But if I look through my eyes, I would like him to have a gradual participation, as happened to me when I started. It must be remembered that he is only 16 years old.’
England international and Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho also has a massive future ahead of him, and has been tipped for big things with the likes of City and United interested in his services.
Meanwhile, Sancho’s compatriot – Marcus Rashford – still has plenty of room to develop and could put himself into the reckoning as the world’s best.
Rashford – still only 22 years of age – has scored more goals than Ronaldo had after the same amount of games at United, which is astonishing considering he has been playing in a weaker team at Old Trafford. So why can’t he develop into a world-beater?
And finally, Dutch stars and former Ajax team-mates Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt can throw their names into the hat alongside Mbappe, Felix and Co.
While we don’t exactly know what the future has in store, what we do know is that there will be one almighty battle for the Ballon d’Or over the next decade.
Ansu Fati has sensationally burst onto the scene for Spanish giants Barcelona this season
