Picture this: You’re four years old watching soccer for the first time. The game is Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona; it’s back and forth but you can’t help but notice two specific players on the pitch. Number 10 on FC Barcelona and number seven on Real Madrid you would later find out to be two players by the name of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two players you would fall in love with, look up to, and be inspired by. Although not everyone had that exact same experience, this is along the lines of the reality for current teens.
Ronaldo was unveiled to the Real Madrid fans on July 6, 2009. What most didn’t know at the time was that Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid would create one of the greatest rivalries ever seen in sports. From 2009 – 2018, Messi and Ronaldo would battle it out in the El Clasico, which is what the Barcelona v. Madrid rivalry is called, multiple times a year, creating instant historical classics.
Although Messi and Ronaldo are thought to be the best players of that era, most would argue that there are plenty of other great players and legends like Neymar, Luka Modric, Harry Kane, Andres Iniesta, Eden Hazard, Mohamed Salah, Gerard Pique, Manuel Neuer, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and more.
Messi and Ronaldo are controversially the best soccer players of all time and have become role models for millions. “I looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo as a kid,” sophomore Wassim Benslimane said.
Although people often consider Messi and Ronaldo to be the best soccer players of this generation, others have been arguably more influential. Neymar Jr. revolutionized the game with his skill and flash. “I looked up to Neymar, he was a huge inspiration to me as a kid,” sophomore Jibril Arezki said.
90min, a soccer-exclusive website, ranks the top 20 soccer players of the 2010s era, however, surprisingly, Neymar doesn’t even make the top five, and hardly even makes the top 10. Players like Gareth Bale, Dani Alves, and Frank Ribery are placed ahead of Neymar. This ranking is opinion, however, which shows that the legacy and impact of a soccer player greatly depends on the person thinking about it. It is clear the 2010s soccer era had no shortage of legends. But now it’s 2024, and most of these players are either retired or getting close to it. Although the end of an era is always sad, as they say, as one door closes, another opens.
ESPN’s under 21 rankings as of Mar. 29, 2023, unsurprisingly rank the fan favorite Jude Bellingham as the top soccer player under 21. Bellingham plays primarily as a number nine, which is also known as a striker or forward. This instantly draws comparisons to Messi, as he played a similar position to where Bellingham plays now. “I would choose Jude Bellingham to be the next Messi/Ronaldo, he is a natural leader and is a big presence and threat on the field, and scares his opponents,” Arezki said.
One of the biggest rivalries so far in this era is Bellingham and Phil Foden, due to their similarities. This naturally brings up the debate of who would be more successful if they were placed in the 2010s era, and there is a strong argument to be made for Foden. “I would choose Phil Foden because he plays like Ronaldo by scoring free kicks, and his dribble moves are just like Messi fast and solid, he also has lots of pace,” Benslimane said.
A four-year-old today wouldn’t look up to Messi or Ronaldo, rather Vinicuious Jr. or Jude Bellingham, or even Lamine Yamal the 16-year-old wonderkid. Regardless of who these kids look up too, the future has never been brighter. The future is now.
