The Soccer GOATS are Leaving Us: So, What’s Next?

 The World Cup is finally here, and the soccer legends are taking the field for the last time. A total of thirty-two countries participated this year, but within a matter of days, the whole world will watch France and Argentina compete for the title of world champion. Only one country and only one team will take home the cup. But, for some, it will be their last ever World Cup. Of course, that happens every four years, but this World Cup, legends like Ronaldo and Messi — people who helped shape football — will no longer play. And, that is a good reason for soccer fans, and everyone really, to panic. Who will be the next Ronaldo? Who will be the next Messi? Will there be more legends in the future? Or will Ronaldo and Messi’s level be unmatched forever?  

   The two best players of football have been playing on the field for over 15 years. They both entered the game at 17 years old. Ronaldo was one of the youngest to start playing for the national Portuguese soccer club. In 2006, Ronaldo became the youngest footballer to score in the World cup at 21 years old. Meanwhile, Messi was the first to make 778 appearances in Barcelona at just 17 years old. Messi also was the youngest to represent his club in an official game. Throughout their careers, respectively, Ronaldo scored over 800 goals, and Messi has scored over 700 goals. GOATS.

   Now that the “GOATS” are almost gone, who has to worry about who will take their places? Will it be Kylian Mbappe? Or will it be Erling Haaland? Hard to tell what exactly the future will look like. With so much talent in the game, it all goes down to who works harder and who wants it more. Even then, the next generation will have huge shoes to fill. But it’s not hard to imagine what two faces will become the faces of soccer.

As of right now, the chances of having two other legends are high. For one, we have Kylian McBappe, 23, a French professional footballer. McBappe is considered one of the best players in the world for his dribbling abilities, great speed, finishing, and scoring goals with phenomenal accuracy. McBappe was also only 19 years old when he scored in the World Cup final, which helped his team win. The other potential replacement is Erling Haaland; he is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League Club Manchester City as well as the Norwegian National team. Similar to McBappe, he is also considered one of the best players in the world, known for his speed, strength, and finishing.

Thanks to these phenomenal players, we could all decompress. The world will once again have soccer greats. They may not be legends yet, but these two are clearly as hard-working as they are talented. And, as Ronaldo himself once said, “Talent without hard work is nothing.”