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5 Players Who Will Take Over Messi and Ronaldo

Messi and Ronaldo have been the two best players over the last decade, and are perhaps the two best players ever.
Messi and Ronaldo have been the two best players over the last decade, and are perhaps the two best players ever.

Despite dominating football for 11 years now and elevating it to a potentially peerless level, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now very much in the latter stages of their careers.

Whilst this doesn't mean retirement is around the corner, it does mean that we could see a changing of the guard in the next few seasons.

Although it seems unlikely that any player will be able to achieve what both Messi and Ronaldo have, there will be a point where potentially neither of them will be the very best in the world anymore.

It may be a sad thing to consider, but this is the inevitability that time provides for a sportsman, especially in a sport like football, where the career of a player starts fading away post 30 years of age, barring a few exceptions.

Whilst it is inevitable that at some point Ronaldo and Messi will have to truly relinquish their thrones as the best in the world, what isn't obvious is exactly who will take this mantle.

In light of this, it is an interesting exercise to consider just some of the players currently playing who may do exactly that.

Marcus Rashford is one of the most exciting young prospects in the Premier League
Marcus Rashford is one of the most exciting young prospects in the Premier League

#5 Marcus Rashford (21 years old)

Coming in at #5 (in no particular order mind you) is Marcus Rashford, who at 21 years of age is still very much in the early stages of his promising career.

Since bursting onto the scene a couple of seasons ago, Marcus Rashford has gone from strength to strength, becoming a key member in this rejuvenated Manchester United team.

Whilst his 10 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League aren't mind-blowing stats, many of his performances have come from the bench.

Nevertheless, he is becoming an increasingly prominent member of both the Manchester United and England starting 11, and his almost even balance of goals and assists show that he has the potential to become a complete attacker.

In addition, the key part of this season was undoubtedly his penalty against PSG, which saw him send Manchester United into their first Champions League quarter-final in years.

Although it was "just" a penalty, the fact that not only did Rashford agree to take it, but also score it shows that he is prepared to have all the pressure on his shoulders which is an essential trait that any world class player needs.

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