Is Sheikh Al-Albani more knowledgeable, or are the generations close to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, bearing in mind that he "authenticated and weakened" many hadiths?

Sheikh Al-Albani is a contemporary scholar renowned for his knowledge, meticulousness, and mastery. He was born in Shkodra, Albania, in 1332 AH, and dedicated his life to serving the Prophetic Sunnah through verification, authorship, and teaching. He was well-known for his knowledge of Hadith and has valuable works such as "Silsilat al-Ahadith as-Sahiha" (Chain of Authentic Ahadith), "Silsilat al-Ahadith ad-Da'ifa wal-Mawdu'a" (Chain of Weak and Fabricated Ahadith), and "Tamam al-Minna," among others.