Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can barely be separated in terms of quality – and a simulator has shown there’s little between their speed too.
The two strikers are considered to be the next big football rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both now playing outside of Europe.
Haaland has established himself as a goalscoring machine, having starred for Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now Manchester City.
Meanwhile, 2018 World Cup winner Mbappe earned a move to Real Madrid in the summer having become Paris Saint-Germain‘s record goalscorer with 256 strikes.
Fans regularly debate who is the better player, with many preferring Mbappe’s technical skills, while some favour Haaland‘s deadly finishing.
Both men utilise their speed and power to great effect, with their lightning-quick pace a key aspect in them finding the back of the net.
But who is quicker?
Well TikTok user @awesomepcgames has done his best to find that out – pitting the pair together in a unique race simulated on video game EA FC 25.
The race started from the edge of the box and finished at the opposing end.
Haaland and Mbappe are both rated 91 on the game, but the latter boasts 97 pace on his card – a huge difference when compared to the Norwegian’s 88.
As expected judging by the card difference, it was Mbappe who got out of the blocks quicker.
But Haaland’s power and physicality saw him almost immediately take the lead as he threatened to leave the Frenchman in his wake.
However, Mbappe managed to catch up to the 24-year-old around the halfway line, with almost nothing separating them as they approached the 18-yard line.
And it was Mbappe who just about come out on top, coming home in 8.33 seconds – just ahead of Haaland who clocked a time of 8.57.
While Mbappe may have come out on top in the simulated race, it is Haaland who has performed statistically better on the pitch.
The former Monaco forward has struggled for consistency with Los Blancos, but has still fired in eight goals from 15 matches in all competitions.
Haaland has played the same amount of matches, but has found the back of the net on 14 occasions, with three coming in the Champions League, compared to Mbappe’s one.
However, it is Mbappe who could pip Haaland to 50 goals in Europe’s premier competition first, as he stands on 49 goals – one strike ahead of the Citizens marksman.
And Mbappe, who is a year older than Haaland, looks set to reach 300 club goals first, with the six-time Ligue 1 winner five goals off, with Haaland 41 away.
But one thing is for certain, both men will continue to be compared to one another in the years to come – and will likely compete for major club and personal honours.
