Who Inherits the Throne When Messi and Ronaldo Are Officially Gone?

Lionel Messi has played his last game for Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with Portugal is a weekly debate, and the two men who defined football for two decades are close to retiring outright. Nobody has been crowned in their place, and the three names usually put forward each come with a flaw.

Kylian Mbappé is the obvious heir, Erling Haaland the most lethal finisher of his generation, and Lamine Yamal a teenager already holding a World Cup winner’s medal. 

None can claim the crown outright, and the reasons show how high Messi and Ronaldo set the bar.

Mbappé Has the Numbers, but Something’s Amiss

Mbappé’s output last season was close to absurd. He won the Pichichi with 25 La Liga goals, finished as the Champions League’s top scorer with 15, and took the World Cup Golden Boot with 10, passing Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

But, where’s his silverware of late? Real Madrid finished second to Barcelona and fell to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals; France finished fourth at the World Cup. Paris Saint-Germain, the club he left in 2024, has won the Champions League twice since without him.

Nothing in the statistics suggests that he has mellowed, which makes the trophy column harder to explain. He has yet to win La Liga or the Champions League in Madrid, and a succession claim built on goals alone invites the question Ronaldo spent his career answering with medals. 

Until a European Cup, a European Championship or a World Cup arrives, Mbappé’s case reads as magnificent but incomplete.

Haaland Can Outscore Anyone, but Can He Escape City's Shadow?

Haaland scores at a rate that can only be scored in a video game on easy mode. He has 169 goals in 205 games for Manchester City, three Premier League Golden Boots including 27 last season, and a Treble in his first year. A fourth Golden Boot would put him level with Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah, and he leads the race again with five goals in five games.

The complication, though, is the badge on his chest. The commission’s findings cover 2009 to 2018, years before Haaland arrived, so none of his medals are formally in doubt. Voters rarely separate player from club, though, and 114 guilty findings, with City still insisting on innocence, hands every sceptic a ready-made reason to discount what he has won.

Haaland finished second to Messi in the 2023 Ballon d’Or and 26th in last year’s vote. Whether electors can ever look past the club he plays for will decide if he is remembered as the best of his era or only the most prolific.

Yamal Has the Medals and the Magic, but the Numbers Must Catch Up

Yamal turned 19 in July with a European Championship, a World Cup and consecutive La Liga titles. He was La Liga’s Player of the Season last term and runner-up to Ousmane Dembélé in the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

His influence on Barcelona and Spain is clear, but his numbers are modest compared with his rivals. 

He returned 24 goals and 17 assists for Barcelona last season and scored once at the World Cup, while Kane scored 61 for Bayern and Mbappé 25 in La Liga alone. 

A winger who bends defences out of shape is always underrated by statistics, though Messi and Ronaldo set a standard that was both numerical and artistic.

Yamal does not need to match anyone yet. To be named consistently among the greats, his output has to move towards that range, and at 19 there is time. 

One thing should be added, though: the boy has some tremendous PR to go with his tremendous talent.  

Then There Are The Chasers…Kane Is the Present, Vitinha Is Underrated, Olise Is the Dark Horse

Harry Kane, 33, is hardly an heir, but his case deserves a hearing. He scored 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern last season, 73 with England included, the best single season this century bar Messi’s 82 in 2011/12. He led Bayern to a league and cup double and England to third place at the World Cup, and bookmakers have him as the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in London on 26 October.

Vitinha, 26, is the engine. He finished third in last year’s Ballon d’Or, won a second straight Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and was Player of the Match in the final against Arsenal. Seven goals and ten assists will not fill a highlights reel, but he completed 481 more Champions League passes than anyone else last season, and Rodri’s win in 2024 showed voters will reward a midfielder who runs the game. Portugal’s last 16 exit to Spain at the World Cup probably caps his chances this year. 

Michael Olise, 24, is the dark horse. He returned 15 goals and 19 assists in the Bundesliga as Bayern won the league and cup, and he made the Ballon d’Or shortlist. He is the least celebrated name here, which may not last.

The next season or two will determine where and between whom the Ballon d’Or will be contested going forward. Exciting times lie ahead!

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