Erling Haaland And Kylian Mbappe Both Name The Toughest Opponents In Their Careers So Far

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe have opened up about the toughest opponents they have faced in their respective careers so far.

Both Haaland and Mbappe have been tipped as the 'heirs to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi' after emerging as two of Europe's fastest-rising stars.

Haaland, 20, has revealed that his toughest opponent came in the form of Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, who he hailed as an "incredible player."

The Norway international told ESPN: "Virgil van Dijk.

"He is so good. He is powerful, quick, he possesses all the qualities. He is an incredible player."

PA

PA

Haaland scored against Liverpool during RB Salzburg's 4-3 defeat at Anfield in the Champions League in 2019.

But the former RB Salzburg striker failed to find the back of the net during Liverpool's 2-0 win in Austria.

Mbappe, on the other hand, named Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon as the toughest opponent in his career.

PA

PA

The French World Cup winner came up against Buffon during Monaco and Juventus' 2017 Champions League semi-final encounter.

Juventus won the first leg 2-0 at the Stade Louis II thanks to a brace from Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain.

Mbappe scored in the return leg at the Juventus Stadium, but Mario Mandzukic and Dani Alves would seal a 2-1 victory at the Old Lady.

When asked about his toughest opponent during a quick-fire Q&A session, the France international simply said: "Gianluigi Buffon."

Buffon, who later played at PSG alongside Mbappe, embraced the former Monaco star at full-time in the second-leg semi-final clash.

Speaking after the win, the 43-year-old legendary Italian said: "I swapped my shirt with Mbappe because when I was young nobody wanted to do that with me and I hated it!"

Topics: Paris Saint-Germain, Football, Ligue 1, PSG, Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund, Germany, Kylian Mbappe, France, Bundesliga

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9