Ronaldo is likely to earn another Ballon d'Or at the start of 2018 but the time will come when he and Messi are no longer on the podium
There is a photograph floating about of Kylian Mbappe in a Real Madrid tracksuit and Cristiano Ronaldo's arm draped around his shoulder at Real's training base at Valdebebas. Mbappe, at 13, had been invited for a look around the facilities by Zinedine Zidane. Mbappe, in the photo, is plainly a boy. It's a photo to emphasise his tender years. Ronaldo looks just the same, Mbappe has since blossomed into a fine young man in such a short space of time. To be in a picture with Ronaldo was no doubt a thrill for a kid like Mbappe but he is making his own way in the world now and probably seen as a threat by Ronaldo; a threat to his stature and his Ballon d'Or. Likewise, Paulo Dybala has openly described Lionel Messi as his "idol". He grew up emulating the Barcelona superstar. Last week he shoved him out of the Champions League. Time ticks by. It’s sad to think about but the day will come when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are no longer playing. They’ll be gone and we’ll only have memories. Atletico's chance to end Real Madrid hoodoo You’ll look around and you won’t see those Barcelona and Real Madrid shirts on kids all over the world. The question “Messi or Ronaldo?” won’t open up a conversation with a new friend the same way it does now. These men broke down the barriers between what we thought was achievable and what was made possible. The standards Messi and Ronaldo have set will never be surpassed. We will have to get used to the fact that players coming before and after won’t ever be the same. There won’t be twice-weekly goal scoring performances. There won’t be goals scored in hat-tricks, fours and fives as standard. But someone will have to be the best once this transition takes place. They’re not going anywhere any time soon, yet the truth is another player will probably win the Ballon d’Or before both retire.
Mbappe has scored 16 goals in his last 16 Monaco games and is the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League knockout matches. He will be up against a Juventus defence which hasn’t been breached in 441 Champions League minutes. That’s a whole new challenge altogether for the 18-year-old but he has taken everything in his short career so far in his awesome young stride. Dybala is set to win his second consecutive Serie A championship and Mbappe is in line for a French Ligue 1 title with Monaco too. This has been the breakout year for both and the season they’ve been catapulted into the popular consciousness. Messi and Ronaldo they might not be – nor will they ever be – but Dybala and Mbappe coming face to face gives fans a glimpse of the future. In streets and playgrounds and holidays resorts around the world we might well see these two names on the shirts adorning the youngest shoulders as the world gets to grips with a post Messi and Ronaldo future. Then the next generation's super stars will be having their pictures taken alongside them and describing them as idols.