“Not sure that Kylian Mbappe is a real number nine” – Lewandowski delivers verdict on Haaland and Mbappe

Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski has delivered his verdict on Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

Haaland and Mbappe have already shown that they are generational footballers and are expected to dominate world football in the years to come. The two forwards are widely tipped to forge the next big rivalry in the game, emulating the iconic rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has opened up on the two gifted young attackers and tipped them both to become greats in the coming years. The former Bayern Munich superstar has claimed that both are already among the best players in the world.

The Poland international called them 'incredible' players but insisted that the Frenchman is not a natural number nine. Lewandowski said, as quoted by L'Equipe:

"I'm not sure that Kylian Mbappé is a real number nine. He's a striker, he's an offensive player, yes. With Erling Haaland, they are incredible."

"They are very fast, they have speed. This is the reason why, even if they are very young, they are already at this level. The road is very long, but today they show their best."

Erling Haaland:

🗣️"A rivalry with Mbappé like CR7 vs Messi? It can be a positive thing, Messi and Ronaldo have been pushing each other, Barcelona vs Madrid, the perfect rivalry, but I don't compare myself to others."

via @ViaplayFotball https://t.co/WLjgZD3uWo

Haaland and Mbappe going head-to-head for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award could well be on the cards every year in the near future.

The Norwegian has been sensational for Manchester City this season following his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. He has scored 24 goals and picked up three assists in 19 games across competitions this campaign.

The France international, on the other hand, has been on fire for Paris Saint-Germain this campaign. The Frenchman has scored 19 goals and produced five assists in 20 games. The 24-year-old played a key role in helping France advance to the 2022 FIFA World Cup final and also won the Golden Boot.

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are generational footballers

We have no shortage of young talents in world football nowadays but Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are undisputedly the best of the lot. Aged 22 and 24 respectively, they still have their best days ahead of them and could very well establish themselves among the best of all time.

Mbappe has already scored 217 goals and provided 109 assists in 297 games for PSG and Monaco combined. He is capped 66 times for France and has 36 goals to his name.

Haaland, on the other hand, has already scored 159 goals and produced 39 assists in 185 games in his club career, while scoring 21 goals in 23 games for Norway.

The 5 most valuable forwards after the World Cup (latest transfermarkt update) 🤑

🇳🇴 Erling Haaland (€170m)
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe (€160m)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Harry Kane (€90m)
🇷🇸 Dusan Vlahovic (€80m)
🇧🇷 Gabriel Jesus (€75m) https://t.co/jhG8YkViNm