Mbappe taking over world football crown from Messi, Ronaldo: Ferdinand

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand on Sunday said current superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are "handing over their crown" as the world's best footballer to teenage France sensation Kylian Mbappe.

"He is the guy who will be standing up on that Ballon d'Or podium in years to come. Easy," the former Manchester United stopper-back Ferdinand was quoted as saying by BBC.

"I hope my old club is chasing him. He has that connection with Paul Pogba too," he added.

Mbappe, 19, netted his side's fourth goal as France got past gritty Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final here, and won the tournament's best young player award.