Gus Poyet says Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG's Lionel Messi will soon be forgotten
Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet strongly believes Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo will be forgotten by future generations.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have been two of the greatest players of the 21st century. The duo have won numerous accolades, including nine UEFA Champions League titles and 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them.
Poyet, however, stated that the two superstar forwards will eventually fall behind, with the new generation making great strides over the past few seasons. Poyet named Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland as two players who can emulate what Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been doing for the past 15 years.
Speaking in an interview, Poyet was quoted as saying the following (via PSGTalk):
“With Haaland and Mbappé now, in the next few years, people will forget about Messi and Ronaldo; they’re becoming so big and influential in the game it’s crazy.”
He also spoke highly of the new Manchester City attacker and also praised Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, adding:
“We say at the moment Benzema is the one at the top at the moment, but the Premier League should be delighted to have a player like Haaland.”
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are well into the twilight of their respective careers and have been on a marginal decline.
This was evident when the PSG forward missed out on the 30-man nomination for the 2022 Ballon d'Or for the first time since 2005. Ronaldo, meanwhile, hasn't recorded a goal contribution in seven matches for Manchester United this season.
Goals scored after 20 Champions League games:
Cristiano Ronaldo: 0
Lionel Messi: 8
Erling Haaland: 24
🤖🤖🤖 https://t.co/HyJcp9m62G
Lionel Messi finally thriving at PSG while Cristiano Ronaldo yet to get going at Manchester United
Lionel Messi has had an excellent start to the 2022-23 season with PSG. The Argentine has scored thrice and laid out seven assists in seven Ligue 1 matches, with the unbeaten Parisians sitting atop the standings.
However, the same cannot be said of Cristiano Ronaldo's campaign at Manchester United.
Both PSG and Manchester United had new managers prior to the start of the new season. The Ligue 1 giants appointed Christophe Galtier while United appointed Erik ten Hag, formerly of AFC Ajax.
The arrival of Galtier in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout has been extremely beneficial for Messi. The Argentina skipper has become a creative force for the team and has helped Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe score goals at will.
Lionel Messi has more assists than any other player in Europe's Big 5 leagues this season 🤝 https://t.co/MT1HY5XndF
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is struggling to find game time and form at under Ten Hag. The Portugal skipper has started just two games for Manchester United all season, with both ending in losses.