The Real Madrid manager has weighed in his opinion on whether the young duo can succeed Ronaldo and Messi.
Zinedine Zidane believes it is possible that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can become the successors of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in world football.
The strikers are arguably the biggest young stars in football today, having embarked on breathtaking starts to their respective careers, and are already renowned goal demons across Europe.
Mbappe and Haaland, who are both just 22 and 20 years of age respectively, set the bar even higher this week following their goal-laden exploits in the Champions League.
Mbappe destroyed Barcelona by bagging a hat-trick to seal a sensational 4-1 win for Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou, while Haaland responded to the Frenchman’s exploits by scoring twice in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 win over Sevilla.
The pair’s performances in Spain were a strong reminder of the way Ronaldo and Messi used to trade blows week-in and week-out.
“We will see, they are very good, like Messi, Cristiano and Neymar,” said Zidane on whether Mbappe and Haaland can succeed the LaLiga legends during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
“They are younger, [and are] the players of the present and the future.”
The French coach, who is a known admirer of Mbappe, admitted he enjoyed watching his compatriot’s performance against Barcelona.
“Yes, everyone talks about the game, and what Mbappe did does not surprise anyone because I know him,” said Zidane.
“I watched it as a fan and, to make it clear, the most important thing is what we have to do tomorrow and the rest I watch with pleasure and attention.”
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