Four players who could be the next Messi or Ronaldo

As the Real Madrid forward turns 33 on Monday and his Barcelona rival is also the wrong side of 30, it is important that Europe's bright prospects are prepared to inherit the crown of 'football's best player'. However, who are the young stars likely to fill the enormous void left by two of the sport's greatest players?

Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

The young Frenchman will become the third-most expensive player in history when he permanently signs for PSG in the summer. The fact that the Parisian club's board were willing to spend €145m with up to €35m due in bonuses, including up to €20m if he wins the Ballon d’Or, indicates the high expectations placed on the 19-year-old's shoulders. However, he has not disappointed: scoring 15 goals in all competitions so far for Unai Emery and looks set to break his 26 goal-tally from his debut season with Monaco in 2016-17.

Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)

After spending a season on loan for Espanyol in 2015-16, Asensio has settled in quickly under Zinedine Zidane and despite the club's shortcomings this season, the young Spaniard has still scored 18 goals in all competitions for 'Los Blancos' in a season-and-a-half and will only improve more once Ronaldo begins to step to the side.

Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)

The young English winger moved from Manchester City's youth academy to Borussia Dortmund's in 2017 and hasn't looked back. Sancho was voted player of the tournament as England were beaten by Spain in the final of the U17 European Championship in May 2017 and was a pivotal player in his international team's journey to U17 World Champions six months later. At just the tender age of 17, Sancho has already made five appearances in the Bundesliga for Dortmund and recorded his first assist in their 1-1 draw against Hertha Berlin in January proving that the young star is already making big waves in Europe.

Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)

Although having suffered an injury setback this season, Jesus still showed off his promising potential in Brazil's World Cup qualifying campaign scoring seven goals in 10 matches to contend with undoubted leader Neymar. In addition, before picking up the knee injury against Crystal Palace in November, the 20-year-old found the back of the net 10 times in all competitions in only his second season playing under Pep Guardiola.