Cristiano Ronaldo names Marco Asensio, Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford and others as his replacements

Updated 25/08/2017 at 13:51 GMT

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has earmarked Marco Asensio, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele amongst others as the players who have the potential to be the best in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF celebrates after scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Real Madrid at National Stadium of Wales on June 3, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales.

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Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or four times, was speaking at the Champions League draw where he was named the Best Player in Europe by UEFA.

He was asked by journalists who he sees as being capable of picking up the mantle once he and Barcelona star Lionel Messi retire.

Ronaldo named a host of talented young players, including world-record signing Neymar.

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Cristiano Ronaldo

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“That is a very good question," Ronaldo said.

"I see some with great potential: Asensio, Mbappe, Neymar, Dembele, Hazard, Rashford ... and some others. In the next generation there are at least 10 players with very, very great potential.”

Asensio is already a star at Real whilst Hazard, Mbappe and even Rashford have been linked with Madrid, although Dembele appears to be close to Barcelona.

Real were reportedly the preferred destination of Mbappe earlier in the summer but recent reports have suggested that a move to PSG is more likely at the moment.

Ronaldo was also asked whether he thought there might be some shocks but he said he expected the Champions League contenders to come from the biggest teams but he didn’t mention any Premier League side.

“The teams are the same every year - Real, Barca, Bayern, Paris, Juve.

“I do not expect any surprise this year. Four of these teams will be in the semi-finals.”

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