IPL 2021 captains and their football equivalents

Sanju Samson & Neymar Jr. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) The ever-engrossing and ever-entertaining IPL is on in full flow. Several matches of the second leg are completed and many more exciting fixtures are awaiting us. Let us hope that fans get many close encounters and may the best team win. As the IPL goes on, football leagues across the world are on in full flow too. Be it the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, or the Serie A in Italy, the fans support their idols madly. Both cricket and football are highly competitive sports, and there are several superstars in either sport who have similar characteristics. Some of them are global superstars while some are low-key players who are loved by all. So, here we list the IPL captains and their football counterparts 1. Virat Kohli and Cristiano Ronaldo This is the aptest equivalence as far as the two sports are concerned. Both Kohli and Ronaldo are global stars of their respective games and are followed and idolized by millions across the world. They are often called “GOATs” as they have been more successful than other players of their games. Apart from that, both Ronaldo and Kohli are extremely passionate and committed to their sports. The work ethics and fitness routines followed by them are by far the best, which also enable them to be the best. Virat Kohli has also said time and again that for him, Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer of all time and that he also looks up to him. There were reports of both the greats meeting up in Manchester after the 5th India-England Test, but it couldn’t be done due to Covid-19 complications in the Indian camp. The meet-up of the two would have broken down the Internet. 2. Rohit Sharma and Kevin de Bruyne Rohit Sharma & Kevin de Bruyne. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) The Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit Sharma is a calm character on the field. His football equivalent is the Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. Both of them are loved and followed by many fans. Rohit and de Bruyne are similar due to their calm and composed presence on the field. They are the main players of their respective teams and provide a game-controlling effect. The two are complete players whom others can look up to. They are both versatile players who play their game according to the situation. They can be aggressive as well as game-makers, which makes them even more dangerous. They are also holders of some prestigious awards for their games. 3. MS Dhoni and Sergio Ramos MS Dhoni & Sergio Ramos. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) The football equivalent for the Chennai captain is none other than defender Sergio Ramos. Both Ramos and MS Dhoni are excellent players in their game but are even better captains. Although, MS Dhoni is a calm individual on the field while Ramos is an aggressive one, what brings them together is their strong character on the field. They are the ones who always have an influence on the game, maybe during gameplay or strategically. They have been successful captains of their respective clubs/teams. MS Dhoni has won the IPL thrice and Ramos has done that too several times, including a Champions League title hattrick coming in 2016,17 and 18. They are now veterans of the game and are coming towards the end of their professional careers. 4. Eoin Morgan and Harry Kane Eoin Morgan & Harry Kane. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) Next, we talk about two Englishmen. Two of the finest products of English sports, Eoin Morgan and Harry Kane, have had an immense impact on their respective games for the country. After the debacle in World Cup 2015, Morgan revolutionized English cricket in a positive manner. They started playing fearless cricket, which eventually made them the world champions in 2019. Harry Kane has not led England to a world title yet, but he has taken them to the FIFA World Cup semi-final in 2018 and to the Euro 2020 finals, which was English football’s first international final in 55 years. Apart from leadership qualities, both of them are excellent players too. Kane has been among the highest goal-scorers almost every time, while Morgan is the highest run-scorer for England in ODIs. These are two eminent players who continue to perform wonderfully. 5. KL Rahul and Robert Lewandowski KL Rahul & Robert Lewandowski. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) KL Rahul has been one of the best batsmen in the IPL for a long time now. Someone who matches him in football is Bayern Munich and Polish striker, Robert Lewandowski. KL Rahul is one of the top scorers in the IPL, scoring runs in excess of 400 or 500 every season. The same goes for Lewandowski too, who has been consistent all these years, being more ruthless this season. Both these stars have some breathtaking records to their names too. While Rahul has the fastest IPL fifty off 14 balls to his name, Lewandowski has a record of scoring 5 goals in 10 minutes. Another aspect of their careers is that despite being so good, they have always been overshadowed by greats like Virat Kohli and Lionel Messi respectively. 6. Sanju Samson and Neymar Jr Sanju Samson & Neymar Jr. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) Sanju Samson has been playing the IPL from the time when he was a young lad. A football equivalent for him would be the Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr. Both of them have quite a few similarities with respect to their game and characteristics. Samson has played some phenomenal knocks in the IPL and is unstoppable on his day. The same goes for Neymar who possesses several excellent skills which he shows off on the field. But it is true that the stories of their careers have been that of unfulfilled potential. Inconsistency is what hurts their chances. If they perform this good and pay attention to other aspects of the game like fitness, they can even be better than the best in their games. 7. Kane Williamson and Lionel Messi Kane Williamson & Lionel Messi. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) Kane Williamson is one of the coolest characters on the field. He is also one of the best in the business, being a member of the “Fab 4”. His equivalent in football is none other than Lionel Messi who is also the best in his game. Both these players are calm on the field and show their aggression by means of their gameplay. Their skillful play is loved by all, irrespective of the clubs followed by the fans. Another similarity in their career is that they have not won an international trophy for long. They had missed the opportunity several times after coming very close. But 2021 was the year for both these players as Kane Williamson won the ICC World Test Championship and Lionel Messi won the Copa America, ending their trophy drought. 8. Rishabh Pant and Erling Haaland Rishabh Pant & Erling Haaland. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Getty Images) The dashing Rishabh Pant grabbed the limelight from the time he started playing domestic cricket. Since then, he has come a long way playing for India and also captains an IPL team now. His football counterpart is also a young and flamboyant striker, Erling Haaland. These players have earned extremely high acclaim at such a young age. Their stats and records speak for themselves. They already have fan bases and experts are predicting an unbelievable future for them. While Pant is the only Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in England and Australia, Haaland has more club goals at the age of 21 than anyone else. These feats speak a lot about their talent and a lot more is surely going to follow.

IPL 2021 captains and their football equivalents

IPL captains can have parallels with footballers across the world based on many factors.

6. Sanju Samson and Neymar Jr