As part of the always present debate, Clarence Seedorf already has a good idea of the player who could replace Messi and Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could be impossible to replace, but Clarence Seedorf would like to take a guess. The Dutch former player has been studying several players over the last decade and he has a good idea of who will be their successor. There are many great footballers right now who could become even greater.
But for Seedorf, there is only a handful of players who can actually take the challenge right now. While there are several young stars on the rise, the Dutchman only wanted to talk about the more mature players who are right in the sweet spot. However, this doesn’t mean that the two legends are done with their respective careers.
“I think if they are fit and motivated, they will continue to perform at a high level, both of them. I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” said Clarence to Goal.
“The question is more: are we going to see some of the younger generation to step up their game?
“That’s what I’d like to see, because Cristiano and Messi have shown for the last 12-13 years the ability to continue to do their thing.”
Who can take the challenge?
“There are enough players that could step it up,” he added. “Neymar had a decent season, but he’s one of them who can still step it up and be there, then we have some midfielders like [Kevin] De Bruyne.
“We have [Eden] Hazard, I always said that Hazard easily can be there but it’s about are you motivated to be the best? And [Romelu] Lukaku who has been amazing, he has jumped up the last season.
“Maybe I’m forgetting a few: [Robert] Lewandowski did an amazing job, [Philippe] Coutinho, all these players. There are many players: [Sadio] Mane, [Mohamed] Salah.
“So, it’s about the consistency which Messi and Ronaldo have shown. Cristiano has shown all the players that they can be consistent over the years at that level and that’s a mentality thing, that’s a motivation and drive that champions have. Let’s hope to see more.”
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