Rio Ferdinand has revealed who he thinks is the better player between Man City’s Erling Haaland and Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.
Both forwards have started the 2025/26 campaign impressively, with the superstar duo putting in their best performances of the season over the past weekend.
The French international guided 10-man Real Madrid to a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, while Haaland stole the show in the Manchester derby with a brace.
Following Man City’s 3-0 win over the Red Devils, Ferdinand has been praising Haaland for his performance at the Etihad Stadium, with the former United defender also revealing who he prefers between the Norwegian and Mbappe.
Erling Haaland celebrates during Manchester City v Manchester United.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Rio Ferdinand prefers Kylian Mbappe over Erling Haaland
Haaland has stepped up for Man City this season, both on and off the pitch, with the 25-year-old taking on more responsibility having been added to Pep Guardiola’s leadership group, which seems to have had an impact on his performances.
The superstar showed on Sunday the devastation he can cause opponents, and speaking about the striker, Ferdinand admits that he was impressed by the Man City star’s display against Man United.
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“You’ve got also, sometimes you’ve got to hold your hands up. Erling Haaland has got 15 goals in his last 10 games. So it ain’t like this is an isolated situation against Man Utd,” the pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“15-10 for club and country. 50 home Premier League goals in 50 Premier League games at home. It’s not a mess about.
“So as much as I’m sitting there critiquing the Man Utd defenders, the geezer is blitzing teams week in, week out at home in the Premier League for Manchester City.”
However, Ferdinand would then go on to say that he would still take Mbappe over Haaland, despite the Norwegian superstar’s impressive start to the current season.
“I’d take Kylian before Haaland,” Ferdinand admitted. Both have started the 2025/26 campaign in impressive fashion, with both superstars hoping to fire their teams to trophies over the coming months.
How Kylian Mbappe compares to Erling Haaland
Mbappe recently praised Haaland, stating that Man City always have a chance of winning the Premier League with the striker and Guardiola at the Manchester club.
Haaland has started the season with five goals across City’s opening four matches in England’s top flight, with Mbappe not far behind the 25-year-old in La Liga, as the French star has produced four goals and one assist across Real Madrid’s first four games.
Player Games Goals Assists Minutes
Erling Haaland 4 5 0 340
Kylian Mbappe 4 4 1 357
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe’s 25/26 stats
It remains to be seen how the 2025/26 campaign plays out for both players, but what is clear is that both superstars have the intention of leaving their mark on the season, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place next summer.