Are Yamal & Doué the True Ronaldo & Messi Successors?

  

    Let’s rewind five years, a 21-year-old Kylian Mbappé was tearing up Ligue 1 for PSG, and leading the club to a UCL final, in which they lost, 1-0, to Bayern Munich, with Mbappé missing the easiest chance of the game for PSG, hitting a tame shot straight along the ground to right to Manuel Neuer. Erling Haaland was also tearing it up domestically, joining Borussia Dortmund, and becoming one of the best strikers at the time.

    But it seems that so soon after the claim was that football was in safe hands with the two strikers, we have found two kids, now pipped to be the next Messi and Ronaldo, and I have got to say, they seem to fit the bill a bit better. Doué, a tall, skilful winger, bursting onto the scene and getting a move to one of Europe’s elite early on, similar to Ronaldo. Yamal, a shorter, tricky dribbler and a right winger who likes to cut in onto his magical left foot, sounds familiar. Not only that, but a player who spent his youth career in La Masía? He has to be the next Messi.

    So, the profile of these players better suits Ronaldo and Messi’s than Mbappé and Haaland’s, but do these boys have what it takes to reach the GOAT’s level? While not on the same level as Mbappé, they certainly can get there. Just take a look at their stats for this season, 31 G/A for Yamal and 23 for Doué is terrific, and it feels like they’re only just getting started.

    When Messi and Ronaldo were at their age, they could only dream of numbers like that. The only problem is whether it is dangerous for players so young to be playing so many games. We have seen so many players struggle because of being thrust into the spotlight. Pedri and Gavi both played loads of games in their debut season and started picking up loads of injuries. Whilst Pedri has recovered, Gavi is still coming back. Ansu Fati, the man Barcelona deemed the next Messi before Yamal, was thrust into the spotlight and struggled with injuries, and now has been shipped off to Monaco, but at least it isn’t the end of his career, as he is only 23.

    One player that everyone who knows about failed wonderkids will know is Bojan Krkić. The young star was dubbed the next Messi while he was still playing at Barcelona. Krkić was believed to be the new Messi, and he was that, for a short time, he was playing a lot of games for Barça, but the games dried up, spells in Italy failed, and a return to Barça didn’t work out. When he signed for Stoke City, people realised the pressure he had on him, but it was too late; he couldn’t recover.

Bojan at Barcelona in 07/08 Season

    In fact, the pressure on him is the same pressure on Yamal and Doué from this article; luckily, I am not some big sports outlet, so I doubt they will see it. However, the fact remains that if there is too much pressure on these two, then they may struggle. I doubt it, though; they seem to thrive on pressure.

    A sixteen-year-old Yamal, with the world at his feet during Euro 24, was called out by France midfielder Adrien Rabiot for “not doing enough”; he claimed that Yamal needed to do more, and didn’t he just, scoring one of the goals of the tournament after beating Adrien Rabiot, and curling one from miles out. Désiré Doué doesn’t seem to struggle with pressure either. Just look at the Champions League Final; 2 goals and 1 assist in the biggest club final in the world is no small feat for anyone.

    If these boys keep developing like they have, then I have no doubt that they will inevitably replace our GOATs, and I know that football is in safe hands.