
Barcelona legend Xavi believes Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling will be the next best player in the world after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The pair have dominated the game for over a decade, winning a huge number of trophies and personal accolades as well as beating records that didn’t even seem conceivable winning 10 Ballon d’Or awards between them in a row before Luka Modric broke the duopoly in 2018 and became the first player to win it who wasn’t Ronaldo or Messi since Kaka in 2007.
Yet with both players now well in to their 30s there will eventually become a time when they hang up their boots and leave the game behind and Xavi believes that Sterling is the man who will take their place.
The forward has improved exponentially over the last two years, netting 54 goals in his last 103 appearances for City, and has become an vital part of both his club and his country.
The 24-year-old has matured into a world class player under Pep Guardiola and Xavi explains how his former coach will have improved Sterling.
“Messi is the best ever for me – and even though they’re both still playing at a very high level – there will come the day not so long away when somebody else must step into those shoes.
“You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, Mbappe, Salah, and of course Sterling. I look at the moment – and Sterling is winning that race.