By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Casemiro has named four players he believes are the “heirs” to the thrones of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Manchester United midfielder, 32, was a vital part of an iconic period at Real Madrid where the team clinched five Champions League titles in eight years. There, he rubbed shoulders with several bona fide footballing greats such as Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric, among others.
But the current crop of talent at Los Blancos could prove just as legendary, particularly if Casemiro’s prediction comes to pass. Speaking to Diario AS, the Brazilian tipped Kylian Mbappe to establish himself as the best in the world at the Bernabeu, and also reckoned that three of his club-mates could follow in his wake.
“He [Mbappe] is one of those players that when you play against them you don’t know how to stop him. He’s not [on top of] the podium yet, but he’ll get there,” Casemiro said. “He’s the heir to [Messi and Ronaldo], along with Vinicius Jr, who continues to grow and improve in every game, Rodrygo, and Fede Valverde.”
It took Mbappe, who joined the club from PSG last summer, a few weeks to settle into the unfamiliar No. 9 role he has been deployed in, but the Frenchman, 26, has since silenced his doubters after blasting 28 goals (and counting) in all competitions. On Wednesday, he became just the fourth Real Madrid player to score a hat-trick in a Champions League knockout match – after Ronaldo Nazario, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Benzema – following his treble against Manchester City.
Vinicius, meanwhile, has been widely regarded as one of Europe’s top forwards for several years, and was a whisker away from winning the Ballon d’Or in October. The 24-year-old has scored over 20 goals in each of the past four seasons, and needs just three more to do the same this season.
Rodrygo, 24, and Valverde, 26, may not boast the star power of Mbappe, Vinicius, or Jude Bellingham, but their importance at the Bernabeu is undeniable. Both have been first-team regulars for over half a decade, and many – Casemiro included – believe that they’re the ones who really make Real Madrid trick.
“Valverde is a player who leads the team and who can mark an era,” Casemiro said. “He gives everything on the pitch. Of the new midfielders, he’s the best.
“In my time the 4-3-3 was in charge and I provided the balance. But now football is changing and there is more deployment all over the pitch. Valverde is the perfect No. 8. A spectacular box to box [midfielder], tremendous.”
Back in 2022, Casemiro waxed lyrical about Rodrygo, who’s scored 49 goals for Real over the past two-and-a-half years. “He lit up my eyes. He’s a star,” the Brazil international beamed. “God gave him the gift of playing football.
“He knows when to attack, when to defend, when to be more aggressive, when to play more vertically. This kid is one of the most complete players of his generation.”