With the reign Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's premier footballing talents coming to an end, there has been plenty of discussion as to who will take up the mantle vacated by that pair in the years ahead.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema will likely battle it out for the Ballon d'Or this year, although each of those players will be in their 30s come the end of the season.
As for the next generation, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are the two standout prospects. Both are already top class players and look set to become the dominant forces in world football over the next decade. However, there are other candidates.
Gerard Pique has been asked who he sees as the best young talents around at the moment, suggesting a couple of his current teammates to rival that aforementioned duo.
Speaking on The Overlap with Gary Neville, the Barcelona defender said he thinks that Pedri and Gavi have the potential to battle it for individual accolades in the future. He also refused to say who he preferred out of Mbappe and Haaland, perhaps in an attempt not to scupper Barcelona's chances of signing either player this summer.
I think Pedri has a lot of chances. Gavi also is very, very good for his age.
We have a lot of talents here at Barcelona right now. They will have to grow and get better but right now they are still very good...
I think [Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe] are two of the best players right now. They are very young and have the potential to be Ballon d'Or winners for sure.
I think Haaland is more a pure striker, very strong and scores a lot of goals. Mbappe is more of a complete player I would say. He can play as a winger or as a striker.
Both are very good. I didn't have the opportunity to play against Haaland but I have played against Mbappe. It is difficult to choose.
Pedri starred for Spain at Euro 2020 as an 18-year old, while Gavi already has six senior international caps for the country as a 17-year old.
Pique is likely to become more acquainted with Mbappe in the future, with the Frenchman rumoured to be joining Real Madrid on a free transfer. However it was reported that PSG have signed Mbappe up for two more seasons, which will be fascinating in their quest to win the Champions League.
Kylian Mbappe has now agreed a new two-year PSG contract in principle, according to Le Parisien 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CTmKcO4tGB
— GOAL (@goal) May 5, 2022
Barcelona have also been mentioned as a potential destination for Haaland in the months ahead, although Manchester City are thought to be leading that race at the moment.
The future of the game is certainly in safe hands.
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