Stand aside Messi and Ronaldo, Yamal and Doué are coming for you

MUNICH -- It was successful Munich, conscionable nether a twelvemonth ago, that teenage sensation Lamine Yamal announced himself connected the satellite stage, truthful it is apt that 19-year-old Désiré Doué propelled himself to planetary stardom astatine the aforesaid venue connected Saturday nighttime by inspiring Paris Saint-Germain to their archetypal ever Champions League title.

In years to come, the Allianz Arena mightiness beryllium acknowledged arsenic the launchpad for the 2 players (both named to the FC 100) who are acceptable to predominate shot astatine the highest level. Champions Leagues, World Cups, Ballons d'Or ... get acceptable for Doué and Yamal to go this generation's Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Yamal's infinitesimal successful Munich came connected July 9, 2024, erstwhile the then-16-year-old scored the opening extremity successful Spain's 2-1 triumph against France successful the Euro 2024 semifinal -- a extremity which made him the youngest-ever extremity scorer astatine a large tournament, erasing legendary Brazil striker Pele from the grounds books.

Doué made his people for PSG successful their sensational 5-0 Champions League last triumph against Inter Milan connected Saturday with 2 goals, becoming the youngest subordinate (and archetypal teenager) to people doubly successful the final, eclipsing a grounds that had stood since Eusebio's treble for Benfica successful their 5-3 triumph against Real Madrid successful 1962. His heroics helped him bushed Yamal to the UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Year prize, awarded successful the aftermath of Saturday's emphatic win.

As a footnote, Doué besides bushed Jude Bellingham's grounds of becoming the youngest subordinate to registry an assistance successful a Champions League last erstwhile creating Achraf Hakimi's opening goal.

"I don't person words to picture this evening," Doué told reporters aft game. "It is magical. We are rewriting the past of our club, and of French football, and it is astonishing to beryllium portion of. I tried to marque it concern arsenic usual. It was 1 of the astir important games of the club, but we pulled it disconnected arsenic a squad and it's perfectly wonderful."

Not truthful agelong ago, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland were tipped to regenerate Messi and Ronaldo connected football's pedestal, but Real Madrid guardant Mbappe, 26, and Manchester City's Haaland, 24, abruptly look similar aged men compared to Yamal and Doué. The 2 teenage sensations person already breached records and written their ain pages successful the past books.

Indeed, Yamal and Doué could look each different for the archetypal clip connected Thursday erstwhile Spain play France successful the UEFA Nations League semifinal successful Stuttgart, and it is apt to beryllium the commencement of a rivalry -- for club, state and idiosyncratic honors -- that lasts for a decennary oregon more.

They are some incredibly talented forwards, blessed with pace, trickery and the assurance to effort the extraordinary, and they besides play for 2 of the world's biggest and astir almighty clubs -- Barcelona (Yamal) and PSG (Doué) -- astatine the aforesaid arsenic representing their heavyweight nations, who some regularly vie for World Cups and European titles.

Yamal is up of Doué successful presumption of fame and visibility connected the satellite stage. He has already achieved planetary success, helping Spain to triumph Euro 2024 past year, and his 18 goals and 21 assists successful each competitions for Barca this play played a important portion successful the club's LaLiga success.

Although PSG guardant Ousmane Dembélé is the favourite to triumph this year's Ballon d'Or, with his 33 goals and 13 assists providing the bedrock of the club's Treble success, Yamal is simply a beardown contender and could yet go the archetypal teen to triumph the award. And with Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario inactive the youngest Ballon d'Or victor successful 1997 (aged 21 years and 95 days), Yamal -- and Doué -- could yet constitute him retired of the grounds books.

Doué's emergence to stardom has happened implicit the past 12 months, since completing a €50 cardinal determination from Rennes past summer, rejecting involvement from Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester United successful bid to determination to Parc des Princes.

But adjacent astatine Rennes, Doué was making history. When helium scored against Brest successful August 2022 astatine the property of 17, helium became the archetypal subordinate calved successful 2005 to people successful immoderate of Europe's large 5 leagues. Six weeks later, his extremity against Dynamo Kyiv successful the Europa League made him the youngest-ever French scorer successful European contention (17 years, 4 months and 4 days.)

At PSG, Doué has go portion of Luis Enrique's formidable guardant enactment alongside Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, scoring 15 goals and registering 16 assists crossed 54 games successful each competitions, but determination is inactive a humility to him contempt his unthinkable year.

"We person a batch of young players, we person players who inactive request to make and I americium 1 of those," helium said successful Munich. "And I volition ever strive to get better. It is conscionable mean for me; a mean learning curve. After a large transfer, I needed clip to find my feet and settee in, but I americium brushing shoulders with the champion players and that helps maine execute large things successful football."

Doué's publication to PSG's glittering play earned him his archetypal elder France quality erstwhile helium played successful the Nations League playoff against Croatia successful March. He has immoderate catching up to bash connected Yamal, who has already earned 19 caps for Spain, but connected Thursday successful Stuttgart, we could spot the archetypal section successful the Doué-Yamal rivalry.

Nobody is ever apt to travel adjacent to matching the Messi-Ronaldo communicative -- 13 Ballons d'Or betwixt them doesn't adjacent statesman to archer it -- but the 2 players who are capturing the imaginativeness of the adjacent procreation close present are Doué and Yamal. And they are surviving up to the hype.