Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 24 (ANI): Ace Indian footballer Sandesh Jhingan said that the new generation stars like Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe have it in them to match the status and accomplishments of legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and it is down to their discipline and motivation that determines who goes the farthest.
Sandesh, the ace Indian and FC Goa footballer, is an expert with Zee 5 in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. Besides legends like Ronaldo and Messi, 18-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine, France’s now all-time highest goal-scorer, Mbappe and Norway’s goal-scoring machine Haaland, who has shattered multiple Premier League and UEFA Champions League records in Manchester City colours, are a big focus as well.
Speaking to ANI about these three stars, Jhingan pointed at the age gap between Lamine (18), Mbappe (27) and Haaland (25). He also noted that during every WC, Mbappe brings his game up a notch and is a proven player.
“I think there’s a lot of age difference. I think Yamal is still 18 or 19. After the EURO 2024, that IS his first major tournament for the national team. Whereas Mbappe has kind of proved that on an international stage, especially when it comes to the World Cup, he brings his game to 10 more steps, 10 levels ahead. So that’s kind of a quality of Mbappe. On the big stage, he kind of always steps up. Haaland, on the other hand, this time they qualified for the World Cup, but they kind of proved it wrong yesterday when they beat Senegal finally. People generally put it that Haaland does not play in such a big team. But all in all, the three are so talented and so gifted," he said.
This World Cup has witnessed Mbappe become the second-highest FIFA WC goal-scorer with 16, just behind Argentina icon Messi (18), who got past Germany’s Miroslav Klose. Also, he has outclassed Olivier Giroud (57) to become the leading goal-scorer for France with 60.
During Spain’s win over Saudi Arabia recently, Yamal became the eighth-youngest goal scorer in FIFA WC history at 18 years and 343 days of age.
The goal also placed him close to another football great in the record books. According to ESPN, Yamal registered his maiden FIFA World Cup goal just 14 days younger than Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who scored his first World Cup goal at the age of 18 years and 357 days.
Yamal’s strike also marked another notable achievement. As per Opta, he became only the second player aged 18 or younger to open the scoring for his country in a FIFA World Cup match. The only other player to achieve the feat was Brazilian legend Pele, who scored for Brazil against Wales at the age of 17 during the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
Haaland, the Manchester City goal-scoring juggernaut, scored a brace on his World Cup debut against Iraq, following it with a brace against Senegal too. He became only the sixth player in FIFA World Cup history to score multiple goals in each of his first two appearances at the tournament.
Jhingan highlighted that the challenge for these stars is to achieve the longevity and consistency of Ronaldo and Messi.
“Because what Messi and Ronaldo have done for the past two decades, it is unprecedented. It is unbelievable just to think about it. Because the greatest talent you can have is longevity and consistency. And they have been doing it for 20 years. So imagine if Mbappe has to do the same or if Yamal has to do the same; he has to do it for 20 more years. It sounds daunting. But they have all the qualities, they have all the credentials, they have all the right tools in them," he said.
“Now it comes to that motivation and discipline. So let us see who is the best. I think Haaland, I should not pick sides, but I think Haaland has that mindset. But so does Lamal, so does Mbappe."
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 LIVE and exclusively on ZEE5 in Hindi, English, Malayalam, and Bangla. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
