One of the most anticipated Champions League matchups is the one between Borussia Dortmund and PSG because they have two of the best young footballers in the world right now.
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are wunderkinds that are very much capable of producing the best Champions League 2020 highlights, and pundits would be wise to keep track on these two as they continue to develop.
Although PSG got the better of their German counterparts this time to advance to the next round, it took them a Herculean effort from Neymar to defy the Champions League 2020 odds considering they were facing a deficit in their first go-around.
The two aforementioned youngsters were instrumental to their club’s respective attacks, and for sure this won’t be the last time that they’ll get to meet in one of football’s biggest stages.
Could this become the next big matchup a la Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? Allow SBOBET to try and examine why this might be the next big thing.
A look on Mbappe and Haaland’s early success
Kylian Mbappe is quite an achiever already despite being only 21. The speedy striker is part of the French national team that won the 2018 World Cup back in Russia.
Upon being promoted to the senior team, Mbappe made his impact felt right away by becoming the youngest French goalscorer in World Cup history at age 19. He would score his first-ever World Cup goal in their Group C victory against Peru plus he netted one more goal in France’s 4-2 final victory against Croatia.
Mbappe’s early success had already put himself in great company. By scoring a goal in the final, Mbappe became the second teenage player after Pele to achieve such feat.
Few years later, Mbappe would continue to make plays for his home country. He would go on to score his 100th goal for the club during the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
In Ligue 1, Mbappe was acquired by perennial contenders PSG on a loan from Monaco, making him arguably the most expensive teenager ever to be transferred within the domestic league. And it’s safe to say that the French champions got the most out of that signing.
As he continued to rack up goals and assists, Mbappe would gather several individual accolades along the way. In his first year with PSG, the youngster would win the inaugural Kopa Trophy, which is awarded by France Football to the best young player in the world.
In the following season, Mbappe would be Ligue 1’s top goalscorer by notching 33 goals along with winning the Player of the Year award and one more title for his team.
Haaland, on the other hand, would follow a similar path to Mbappe’s although there aren’t much titles to brag yet on his part.
The Norwegian is already an adept striker by the time he started his professional career. After playing for Bryne and Molde in his home country, Haaland would find his way to Red Bull Salzburg where he would have his meteoric rise.
Haaland would drop hat-tricks left and right upon making his debut for Red Bull, which led to him scoring 11 goals in just seven appearances. And then he would take his act in the Champions League where he netted six goals in his first three appearances in the competition.
Soon after, Haaland would make his transfer to Borussia Dortmund during the last winter break – where everything he touched would turn into gold.
Scoring records were made almost every night for this kid. But more importantly, he would help them win games as well. Haaland would form a dangerous attacking combo with Jadon Sancho as Dortmund would improve their record in the Bundesliga standings after an early setback.
What’s next for these two standouts?
The Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate continues to rage on despite both of them approaching past their primes. But while fans are still bickering on who’s the better player between the two, it is hard to not notice the emergence of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
The two have played spectacular football over these last few years. Kylian Mbappe has been a vital cog for PSG in their title run in Ligue 1, while Erling Haaland has been a goal machine both in Austria and Germany.
And while we’ve seen a glimpse of a potential rivalry down the road between these two, the only way we could see them go at it more is if they play in the same domestic league.
Erling Haaland has been long linked to a possible move to Manchester United while Kylian Mbappe is also being eyed by Liverpool. And should these respective clubs succeed in getting these two on transfers, it will definitely unlock a new rivalry for the world to witness.
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