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Former Netherlands star Wesley Sneijder has named Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Lamine Yamal as the heirs to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He believes the trio will be the ones fans talk about after the two superstars retire, but added that they will also be replaced as the cycle continues.Speaking to Adventure Gamers, Sneijder said that the top players will always have heirs regardless of how great their careers have been. He recalled players replacing Diego Maradona as an example while naming the trio who will be replacing Messi and Ronaldo, and said:“Once Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo retire, then people will start talking more about Mbappe, Vinicius, Lamine Yamal, like how we talk about Ronaldo and Messi now. It’s all about generations. When Diego Maradona quit, other players came through.""In 100 years, people won’t talk about Mbappe, Vinicius or Yamal the same. There will be a new generation who has replaced them, but when they retire, we will start talking about Mbappe, Yamal and Vinicius the same way we talk about Ronaldo and Messi.”Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have extended their contracts at Al-Nassr and Inter Miami, respectively. The Portuguese superstar has signed a deal until June 2027, while the Argentine has signed a contract through 2028.Wesley Sneijder believes he could have been as good as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel MessiWesley Sneijder spoke to Gianluca Di Marzio back in 2020, boldly claiming he could have been on the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said that the duo have sacrificed a lot in their careers, while he opted to enjoy life and have a glass of wine at dinner. He said:"I could have become like Messi or Ronaldo. I simply didn't feel like it. I enjoyed my life, maybe I had a glass at dinner (of wine) at dinner. Leo and Cristiano are different, they have made many sacrifices. And that's fine with me. My career however, was still amazing."The Dutchman made a similar comment in an interview with Fox Sports in 2019, saying:“If I would have lived 100% for my sport, I would have joined the list of Cristiano & Messi. I know that. But I didn’t want to, and I don’t regret that. It’s not like I couldn’t do it, I just didn’t want to.”Wesley Sneijder called it time on his career in 2019 after a short spell at Qatari club Al-Gharafa.
