Kylian Mbappe vs Erling Haaland looks increasingly like the next battle which will define the up-and-coming generation of footballers. 

There are sure to be a hatful of Ballons d'Or won between them by the time the youngsters eventually hang up their boots. 

The obvious comparisons are with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Now, many believe we will never see two players of their ability ever again - at least not simultaneously. 

So perhaps it's a stretch to pit Mbappe and Haaland against two GOATs when the two strikers are only just starting out.

Even if Mbappe has already won four Ligue 1 titles and a World Cup, but he's only just turned 22 and some will want to see him test himself in either the Premier League or La Liga.

You'd be forgiven for trying to shunt a few Messi and Ronaldo comparisons onto his already overflowing mantelpiece, but perhaps it's best not to get carried away. 

That's certainly the opinion of Emile Heskey, who insists there's another benchmark the duo should be compared against: Michael Owen. 

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Heskey is of course talking about Owen in his prime, the 2001 Ballon d'Or winner who led Liverpool to a treble-winning campaign. 

Interestingly, though, his former teammate believes Mbappe and Haaland don't match up well to the ex-England international. 

“Whenever everyone talks about stats and young players coming through at a certain age, I always go to Michael,” Heskey told Kick Off, via talkSPORT. 

“I start comparing them with him, and a lot of them don’t compare to him.

“For the stuff he did and the age he did it at, and his maturity at that age as well.

“But then again, you play from the age of 16 and you’re going to pick up injuries – and that was his downfall, the amount of football he was playing.”

It's very difficult to judge Heskey's claim in retrospect, as we know how the rest of Owen's career panned out, largely due to injuries. Unfortunately, he didn't become the player he might have otherwise. 

Let's hope Mbappe and Haaland can stay fit and fulfil their potential.