Especially since Manchester City won the Champions League in 2023, it would be especially difficult to deny that a whole host of their players are rightly considered as some of the best in the world.
Even some of City’s greats such as Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva would perhaps have been even more respected amongst the masses if they were part of even a single Champions League-winning team.
However, the Sky Blues’ hoodoo in Europe remained at the time.
Pep Guardiola has well and truly elevated the status of Manchester City as a club after finally spearheading them to European glory last year — an honour that seems to attained for a side to be considered truly legendary.
A majority of some of the greatest players and club sides of all time have reigned in Europe.
Ultimately, even if a team excels in the Premier League, it seems like their magnificence fails to capture the global landscape as much as winning a Champions League trophy or an international trophy.
Erling Haaland, however, is one player who has justified the hype around his name by winning both the Premier League and the Champions League at 24 years of age.
As a result, Haaland is justifiably mentioned amongst the best players in the world across all positions.
The £375,000-a-week man has the accolades, the quality and the consistency to justify the praise.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen settles Erling Haaland-Kylian Mbappe debate
The Norwegian international still has plenty of years left in the game to make a rare mark on the history of football.
Judging Haaland’s trajectory so far, it would take a brave man to doubt him from doing so.
The same can be stated about Kylian Mbappe, who made his long-awaited move to Real Madrid.
Considering Los Blancos remain bigger favourites to win the Champions League than Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman’s status in the game could further be elevated if he finally tastes European glory.
It seems the comparisons between Haaland and Mbappe are already being made despite the latter yet to play a single minute for Real Madrid as Marc-Andre ter Stegen claimed he feels the former is the better player.
The Barcelona goalkeeper told ESPN: “Very different. They are both very different. Probably I would go for a number nine [Erling Haaland] because I have the feeling that they are, really little [in terms of the gap in their quality] but both are great players.”
Erling Haaland could settle Kylian Mbappe comparisons for now one one condition
Haaland and Mbappe are a set of generation-defining talents and as a result, while Ter Stegen prefers the former, others will say that believe the latter is superior; signifying how tough it is to determine which player is truly better between the two.
However, the Manchester City striker could win the perennial debate between himself and the World Cup winner if his side win the Champions League yet again.
With Mbappe’s inclusion, Real Madrid would rightly be viewed as the overwhelming favourites to win the competition, having won it last season in any case.
If the Spanish side faced City in the Champions League next season, they would likely be fancied by the masses to come out on top.
However, if Haaland manages to lead Manchester City to their second Champions League title while Mbappe’s wait for the trophy continues at Real Madrid, a consensus could be reached about the former being a better player than the latter.