|
Bellingham, I feel, is still somewhat lacking. Looking at Real Madrid's entire process of winning the Champions League, Bellingham indeed played a role, but it wasn't very significant. If you've seen Spain at their peak, you'd understand that Xavi was the absolute brain, and Iniesta was the absolute cerebellum. This combination of brain and cerebellum helped Spain win two consecutive European Championships and one World Cup. These are truly phenomenal players. I think Bellingham's ceiling is about this high; whether he can continue to improve depends on himself.
Since moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, Haaland has given me the impression that, while in the Bundesliga, he was like a tank crushing small cars with absolute dominance. His dribbling and shooting in the Bundesliga were as easy as pie. However, after moving to the Premier League, Haaland has faced more injuries, and his goals in open play are not as phenomenally consistent. Manchester City's success in recent years is more about Guardiola's excellent coaching, with every position perfectly configured. They were already very strong before Haaland joined, he's not a phenomenal presence.
Vinícius Jr. is still relatively young, and he has good game-reading ability. However, if there's a tactical approach to counter his speed, his impact diminishes significantly. Without his speed, he can't break through defenses or score goals. This was very evident in the Champions League final; he was tightly marked in the first half. Of course, Dortmund also employed a high-risk tactic in the first half, running tirelessly, but they ran out of steam in the second half, giving Vinícius Jr. his chance. If there were a very physically strong defender to mark him, he wouldn't get far.
Finally, the real heavyweight in my opinion is Mbappé. He rose to fame young while at Monaco. During the 2016 European Championship, if not for Portugal's last-minute salvation, Mbappé could have become the youngest player to win the European Championship. Later, in the 2018 World Cup, he redeemed himself by leading France to a resounding victory over Croatia and ultimately lifting the World Cup. He has also performed well in multiple Champions League campaigns. This year, if it weren't for transfer issues, I think Mbappé could have led PSG further. There were rumors of a disagreement with the coach during the Champions League, which led to a loss of morale. PSG was built around Mbappé, and even if he left, it should have been on good terms. Instead, it ended in a split with nothing gained. But a world-class player is a world-class player. Mbappé should maintain this momentum for the next five years, and I hope to see more brilliant performances from him! |
|