Haaland vs Mbappe - Heirs Apparent

Who do you think will win the Ballon d'Or first?


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Gehrman

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Haaland is a best but Mpabbe can create his own goals and is still pretty good at assisting as well. Mpabbe just has more to his game. I think he's the best player in the world atm.
 

jm99

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Maybe he would have if he played in Austria
Maybe, although haalands record in the champions league for Salzburg suggests maybe not. I think mbappe is better, but arguing that he's just as good a goalscorer isn't true, when they both played for weaker sides haaland scored more and when they both play for stronger sides haaland scores more. The only time it's equivalent is if you take haaland at dortmund vs mbappe at psg
 

Andrade

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Maybe, although haalands record in the champions league for Salzburg suggests maybe not. I think mbappe is better, but arguing that he's just as good a goalscorer isn't true, when they both played for weaker sides haaland scored more and when they both play for stronger sides haaland scores more. The only time it's equivalent is if you take haaland at dortmund vs mbappe at psg
Never said he was as good (or as prolific) a goalscorer. The way Haaland plays, it is easier for him to score goals in any case.
 

jm99

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Never said he was as good (or as prolific) a goalscorer. The way Haaland plays, it is easier for him to score goals in any case.
No you didnt, the person I quoted when you replied to me said their goal records were very similar and I said that's misleading because Haaland has a better record when he plays for the same quality of team
 

Sayros

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Maybe, although haalands record in the champions league for Salzburg suggests maybe not. I think mbappe is better, but arguing that he's just as good a goalscorer isn't true, when they both played for weaker sides haaland scored more and when they both play for stronger sides haaland scores more. The only time it's equivalent is if you take haaland at dortmund vs mbappe at psg
One look at their heat map will answer that. It's not as if they've ever occupied remotely close to the same spaces. The fact that Mbappe gets close to Haaland's numbers is what makes him remarkably better as an overall player, because Haaland is in the opponent surface as much as possible and waiting for the ball to get to him, Mbappe occupies the left wing and drifts inside from time to time. They don't score the same types of goals at all. Both their roles are difficult in their own respect, but to get the massive amount of goals that Mbappe does is far more difficult from the places he occupies on the pitch, than with the ones Haaland occupies in his role, and no one has amassed more numbers than Mbappe since the start of 2021.
 

jm99

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One look at their heat map will answer that. It's not as if they've ever occupied remotely close to the same spaces. The fact that Mbappe gets close to Haaland's numbers is what makes him remarkably better as an overall player, because Haaland is in the opponent surface as much as possible and waiting for the ball to get to him, Mbappe occupies the left wing and drifts inside from time to time. They don't score the same types of goals at all. Both their roles are difficult in their own respect, but to get the massive amount of goals that Mbappe does is far more difficult from the places he occupies on the pitch, than with the ones Haaland occupies in his role, and no one has amassed more numbers than Mbappe since the start of 2021.
Tbf mbappe isn't even that close this season haaland has 8 more goals in the same amount of games in a much harder league
 

Wilt

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Mbappe is the better footballer.

Haaland will certainly score the most goals.

Ballon d‘or likely to go to whoever wins a major trophy. Haaland has no chance of European or World Cup, but the better chance of winning UCL.
 

Andrade

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No you didnt, the person I quoted when you replied to me said their goal records were very similar and I said that's misleading because Haaland has a better record when he plays for the same quality of team
I mean it's not really misleading. Their goal records are similar but Haaland scores more because he is an out and out goal getter.
 

A-man

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I think Mbappe is more popular and will most likely get it first. He also has the advantage of playing in the best NT in the world. He is a great footballer but hasn’t yet scored more league goals in a season than Zlatan (38 goals) and Cavani (35 goals).

I prefer Mbappe but what Haaland has done, 21 PL goals in 16 matches, is something really remarkable. Also his performances in CL have been something extra.
 

Zehner

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Some people people pointed out that the same arguments that worked for Messi now work for Mbappe since he participates more than Haaland. While that is generally true, I believe that Mbappe is still more comparable to Cristiano in his overall contribution and involvement. Both did much outside of goals for a player with their respective goal records but nowhere near Messi or Neymar level in terms of playmaking. And Mbappe already seems to be cutting a bit of that from his game as indicated by his regressing dribbles/game stats, though this might be because of his new position in the team.

But in general, I really hope it won't just be between these two. For me, they aren't that far ahead of the competition really in terms of talent or impact on the pitch, they are just that far ahead in terms of goals. But Haaland for instance had a great goal record for Dortmund, too - albeit not as great as for City so far - but I still never considered him the best player in the team while Sancho was still there. It is just the feel when you actually watch the games and not just read up who scored. When a player makes decisive plays all the time, initiating attack after attack even if not all come off, then that's worth more for me than a striker being almost invisible and then finishing one off, celebrating himself.

So personally, I'm more in the Pedri, Musiala, Wirtz, Pedri, Sancho, Kvaratskhelia, etc. camp. It's a bit of a shame that this generation seems to have no player who combines elite goal scoring with elite playmaking but if I have to choose one, I'd always go with the latter.
 

Andrade

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Some people people pointed out that the same arguments that worked for Messi now work for Mbappe since he participates more than Haaland. While that is generally true, I believe that Mbappe is still more comparable to Cristiano in his overall contribution and involvement. Both did much outside of goals for a player with their respective goal records but nowhere near Messi or Neymar level in terms of playmaking. And Mbappe already seems to be cutting a bit of that from his game as indicated by his regressing dribbles/game stats, though this might be because of his new position in the team.



But in general, I really hope it won't just be between these two. For me, they aren't that far ahead of the competition really in terms of talent or impact on the pitch, they are just that far ahead in terms of goals. But Haaland for instance had a great goal record for Dortmund, too - albeit not as great as for City so far - but I still never considered him the best player in the team while Sancho was still there. It is just the feel when you actually watch the games and not just read up who scored. When a player makes decisive plays all the time, initiating attack after attack even if not all come off, then that's worth more for me than a striker being almost invisible and then finishing one off, celebrating himself.



So personally, I'm more in the Pedri, Musiala, Wirtz, Pedri, Sancho, Kvaratskhelia, etc. camp. It's a bit of a shame that this generation seems to have no player who combines elite goal scoring with elite playmaking but if I have to choose one, I'd always go with the latter.
Mbappe is probably a bit more like Ronaldo than he is like Messi but I don't think he's that much like Ronaldo either TBH. People have made comparisons to R9 and Henry which I think are probably more apt but he doesn't have R9's technique IMO. Similarly explosive though.
 

Zehner

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Mbappe is probably a bit more like Ronaldo than he is like Messi but I don't think he's that much like Ronaldo either TBH. People have made comparisons to R9 and Henry which I think are probably more apt but he doesn't have R9's technique IMO. Similarly explosive though.
I think R9 was far more all action in his prime. He often played a bit like a 10, receiving the ball relatively deep on the pitch and beating players for fun. There's no way he would be around 1.8 successful dribbles per game only, like Mbappe currently is. The latter version of R9, maybe.

In general, I think CR7's contribution is a bit underrated by now. His involvement was pretty similar to Mbappe's I think. If his team was dominated, he could be invisible but when you found him with your passes, we was always a great threat with his explosiveness, dribbles, shots, etc. But he didn't run the show like R9 or Messi for instance. Maybe Mbappe is a tad more involved than CR7 in his best time but if so, really not by much. Cristiano for isntance was usually at around 3 dribbles per game which is Mbappe's average over the last seasons as well, excluding this one.

One way or another, both Mbappe and Haaland aren't involved enough to be considered the clear standout players in this generation for my liking :)
 

Sayros

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Tbf mbappe isn't even that close this season haaland has 8 more goals in the same amount of games in a much harder league
Ah the mighty PL argument, always a staple that never holds much weight under any type of scrutiny.

Yes, I'm sure Mbappe would mightily struggle in this City side against the likes of Leeds, Southampton, or Everton. :lol:

Erling's doing far better than in the Budensliga, is that because it's a much better league than the PL, or is he simply the tip of a spear that decimated the league 4 of the last 5 seasons without him? Again, look at their heat maps, I'm not comparing them goal for goal, that's a depth-less analysis. I could turn it around and say Mbappe's had more goals/assists contributions than anybody in the world since 2021, but again that's simplifying the argument, although in this case I don't consider this to be much of a debate at all.
 

jm99

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Ah the mighty PL argument, always a staple that never holds much weight under any type of scrutiny.

Yes, I'm sure Mbappe would mightily struggle in this City side against the likes of Leeds, Southampton, or Everton. :lol:

Erling's doing far better than in the Budensliga, is that because it's a much better league than the PL, or is he simply the tip of a spear that decimated the league 4 of the last 5 seasons without him? Again, look at their heat maps, I'm not comparing them goal for goal, that's a depth-less analysis. I could turn it around and say Mbappe's had more goals/assists contributions than anybody in the world since 2021, but again that's simplifying the argument, although in this case I don't consider this to be much of a debate at all.
I didn't say mbappe would struggle, but the difference between PSG and the rest of the French league is greater than the difference between city and the rest fo the PL. So haaland having a significantly better goal record in a tougher league is more impressive.
 

MiceOnMeth

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Mbappe is probably a bit more like Ronaldo than he is like Messi but I don't think he's that much like Ronaldo either TBH. People have made comparisons to R9 and Henry which I think are probably more apt but he doesn't have R9's technique IMO. Similarly explosive though.
Well he obviously has nowhere near R9s dribbling, ball control, trickery. Definitely not as graceful or slick on the ball as Henry either but in the era of stats none of that really matters
 

Andrade

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Well he obviously has nowhere near R9s dribbling, ball control, trickery. Definitely not as graceful or slick on the ball as Henry either but in the era of stats none of that really matters
Not as graceful as Henry true but probably will end up being deemed the better player. May have a more successful career than R9 if he avoids injury but likely won't be considered a better player. But who knows? There was a time when I never would have imagined CR7 being considered a better player than R9 but here we are in 2023 with literally millions of people thinking that. Mostly kids who never saw R9 but still.....you never know what the future holds.
 

Samid

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Haaland scores a hat-trick and Mbappe responds like a boss and grabs 5 the following night.
 

Blood Mage

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I don't think there can be a single doubt that Mbappe is the best player in the world at this moment. He's well clear of everyone.
 

troylocker

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I don't think there can be a single doubt that Mbappe is the best player in the world at this moment. He's well clear of everyone.
You know that yesterdays opposition was a semiproffesional team from level 6 in France, right? You can’t call yourself the best player in the world and play your «milk and bread» football in the fifth hardest league (For one of the best teams in the world). Not possible. Move to Spain or England and do it there first.
 

Korwas

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You know that yesterdays opposition was a semiproffesional team from level 6 in France, right? You can’t call yourself the best player in the world and play your «milk and bread» football in the fifth hardest league (For one of the best teams in the world). Not possible. Move to Spain or England and do it there first.
Mbappe scored a hattrick in the biggest game in football a month ago and now has the most goals ever in world cup finals. It's not like he needs to prove anything.
 

Lee565

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Mbappe will likely not reach the same numbers as haaland in terms of goals but he strikes more fear into players and fans when he picks the ball up outside the penalty area than with haaland, haaland is a modern day rvn and mbappe is a modern day henry
 

pacifictheme

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Mbappe scored a hattrick in the biggest game in football a month ago and now has the most goals ever in world cup finals. It's not like he needs to prove anything.
I think it's widely accepted that although the world Cup is the most prestigious trophy in football, the standard is not as high as top level club football.

Not trying to say mbappe isn't class, but yeah.
 

Son

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You know that yesterdays opposition was a semiproffesional team from level 6 in France, right? You can’t call yourself the best player in the world and play your «milk and bread» football in the fifth hardest league (For one of the best teams in the world). Not possible. Move to Spain or England and do it there first.
Tbf to the bloke he did want to leave for Real Madrid but PSG handed him like half a billion euros in a contract and the chance to play with Messi for a few more years.

He has a better chance to win the CL in Paris than Madrid these days arguably too. Winning one in Paris would be worth more than any in Madrid as he’s French and that’s his City.
 

horsechoker

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I think it's widely accepted that although the world Cup is the most prestigious trophy in football, the standard is not as high as top level club football.

Not trying to say mbappe isn't class, but yeah.
He scored a hat-trick against the World Champions in the biggest final in football
 

troylocker

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Mbappe scored a hattrick in the biggest game in football a month ago and now has the most goals ever in world cup finals. It's not like he needs to prove anything.
He does have a point to prove, despite having a fantastic WC-record. His second goal in the WC-final was fantastic, the other 2 were penalties. How many time in the history of the game has a player got to shot twice from the penalty spot in a WC-final. He plays for a great French team, and WC is a tournament that goes over 7 games. His WC record is less than 5% of his career so far. Funny stat is that he was the player with the most lost possessions per 90 in the WC.....He's seen as this great flair player, but he only gets past his defender 1 in 3 times, that said he tries more often than anyone else though, and has now taken over the crown after Ronaldo for fewest pressings per 90 for attackers in the top 5 leagues.
He plays 40+ games every season in domestic competitions in France. PSG has the best player in the league in every position on the pitch, they have 5 times the revenue of their closest competitor and he gets served by Neymar and Messi every week. Not winning every domestic trophy by a mile every season is a complete failure from them. To me it's a disgrace that so many good players have chosen to waste their careers at PSG for a huge paycheck in stead of challenging themselves in the best leagues as professional athletes. That has to have an impact on their legacies, so he has a lot to prove if he want's to be called the best player in the world. The first step would have to be to not play in the 5th best league in the world every week.
He might be the best footballer in the world, but we'll never know as long as he stays in Paris.

Right now Haaland is pulling up a lot bigger trees at club level than Mbappe is.
 

Korwas

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He does have a point to prove, despite having a fantastic WC-record. His second goal in the WC-final was fantastic, the other 2 were penalties. How many time in the history of the game has a player got to shot twice from the penalty spot in a WC-final. He plays for a great French team, and WC is a tournament that goes over 7 games. His WC record is less than 5% of his career so far. Funny stat is that he was the player with the most lost possessions per 90 in the WC.....He's seen as this great flair player, but he only gets past his defender 1 in 3 times, that said he tries more often than anyone else though, and has now taken over the crown after Ronaldo for fewest pressings per 90 for attackers in the top 5 leagues.
He plays 40+ games every season in domestic competitions in France. PSG has the best player in the league in every position on the pitch, they have 5 times the revenue of their closest competitor and he gets served by Neymar and Messi every week. Not winning every domestic trophy by a mile every season is a complete failure from them. To me it's a disgrace that so many good players have chosen to waste their careers at PSG for a huge paycheck in stead of challenging themselves in the best leagues as professional athletes. That has to have an impact on their legacies, so he has a lot to prove if he want's to be called the best player in the world. The first step would have to be to not play in the 5th best league in the world every week.
He might be the best footballer in the world, but we'll never know as long as he stays in Paris.

Right now Haaland is pulling up a lot bigger trees at club level than Mbappe is.
No player has more WC knockout goals than Mbappe and only 8 players have ever scored more CL knockout stage goals. Mbappe is preforming at historic levels everywhere.
 

Zehner

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He does have a point to prove, despite having a fantastic WC-record. His second goal in the WC-final was fantastic, the other 2 were penalties. How many time in the history of the game has a player got to shot twice from the penalty spot in a WC-final. He plays for a great French team, and WC is a tournament that goes over 7 games. His WC record is less than 5% of his career so far. Funny stat is that he was the player with the most lost possessions per 90 in the WC.....He's seen as this great flair player, but he only gets past his defender 1 in 3 times, that said he tries more often than anyone else though, and has now taken over the crown after Ronaldo for fewest pressings per 90 for attackers in the top 5 leagues.
He plays 40+ games every season in domestic competitions in France. PSG has the best player in the league in every position on the pitch, they have 5 times the revenue of their closest competitor and he gets served by Neymar and Messi every week. Not winning every domestic trophy by a mile every season is a complete failure from them. To me it's a disgrace that so many good players have chosen to waste their careers at PSG for a huge paycheck in stead of challenging themselves in the best leagues as professional athletes. That has to have an impact on their legacies, so he has a lot to prove if he want's to be called the best player in the world. The first step would have to be to not play in the 5th best league in the world every week.
He might be the best footballer in the world, but we'll never know as long as he stays in Paris.

Right now Haaland is pulling up a lot bigger trees at club level than Mbappe is.
Still doesn't mean Haaland is a better player than Mbappe. I doubt many would have Haaland ahead of Mbappe if they played in the same team.

For me personally, neither one is the best in the world. Mbappe can become that, though, Haaland not so much.
 

troylocker

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Still doesn't mean Haaland is a better player than Mbappe. I doubt many would have Haaland ahead of Mbappe if they played in the same team.

For me personally, neither one is the best in the world. Mbappe can become that, though, Haaland not so much.
It doesn't, but as long as Mbappe plays for PSG in Ligue 1 as his dayjob, we'll never know. Haaland is the best goalscorer in the world though. I doubt any team having those two would bench one and play the other, they'd find a way to get the best out of both if they had any sense.
They are completely different playertypes, so comparing them really is a silly exercise. Some likes the dribbler/playmaker, some likes the goalscorer, it'll allways be subjective in the end. Both needs good teams around them to win trophies.
Statswise they both stand out: Haaland as the goalscorer and Mbappe as the overall contributer.
Right now Haaland is pulverizing every record in the toughest league in the world in his debut season, while Mbappe is still playing it safe at PSG, so at clublevel there is no doubt who is pulling up the biggest trees at the moment.

I'm 6'4'' and have played as a #9 all my career (lower levels) myself, so there's no hiding that I'm biased towards the pure specialist, with the monster physique. The combination of movement, positional awareness, pace, strenght and finishing he has is unique and I've never seen a better pure goalscorer. Not many goal records will survive the Goal Yeti if he stays away from serious injury. His goalscoring record is so ridiculously much better than anyone else's in the top 5 leagues at his age the last 60 years that it's hard to grasp.

Others like the more rounded type of player that gets more involved better, and that's fine. I get more exited by watching Haaland make grown men look like boys in and around the box and score with 30+% of his shots than watching Mbabbe dribble/or sprint past defenders which he succeeds at 34% of the time he tries. I think defenders fear Haaland more than they fear Mbappe.
 
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