Not Neymar, Arsene Wenger Picks This Striker As Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo's Successor

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has picked Kylian Mbappe as the next big player in soccer after the legendary duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while he also mentioned that England’s new generation comprising Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jaadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford also look promising.

Now that Messi is 32 and Ronaldo 35, even their fans have accepted that these two greats are in the twilight years of their careers that have been no less than being decorated.

Speaking about Messi and Ronaldo in an interview with TalkSPORT, Wenger went on to explain that soccer fans had never witnessed players with their gifts.

“We had never seen players like that, who can absolutely be creative in any tight situation. These players are now getting towards the end [of their career] – Ronaldo, Messi – but it’s now about the next generation. The next generation is maybe French. At the moment, the leading player could be Mbappe, of course, Neymar that we know, but England as well."

"England has a good chance now; they are doing very well at youth level. They have done well with Gareth Southgate at the World Cup. I was hoping that at the European Championship, they could be one of the contenders,” the French soccer manager added.

With Alexander-Arnold and Rashford making significant contributions to their respective clubs and the likes of Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Phil Foden and Reece James making their way into Gareth Southgate’s plans, the England national soccer team looks promising in the years to come.

As of now, 21-year-old forward Mbappe looks to be Messi and Ronaldo’s possible heir. He played an essential role in France’s successful FIFA World Cup campaign in 2018, where they defeated first-timers Croatia to clinch the trophy in Russia. He finished sixth at last season’s Ballon d'Or awards behind Messi, Virgil van Dijk, Ronaldo and Liverpool duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Mbappe, who has touched international heights that Messi and Ronaldo have not been able to do so, is currently been heavily linked to a Real Madrid move ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.