Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated soccer for the past 20 years. Now, as they near the twilight of their careers, it’s time for younger generations to take the stage, and Ronaldo has already suggested which player might surpass both him and Messi.
On his YouTube channel, while speaking with former teammate Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo mentioned Lamine Yamal as one of the players to keep an eye on in the coming years: “I see (in Lamine) huge potential, great talent. He needs luck because he is very young, I hope he doesn’t get any (physical) problems.”
CR7 continued to praise Yamal, highlighting the fact he’s doing things that neither him nor Messi did at his age: “His context helped him a lot, the Spain national team is very good. I believe he is going to be one of the best players for this new generation.”
Lamine Yamal’s achievements so far
Cristiano Ronaldo has his reasons to praise Lamine Yamal, whose breakthrough into top-flight soccer at such a young age took everyone by surprise. The Barcelona star set the record for being the youngest player to ever play, score and win the UEFA European Championship in 2024 with Spain.
Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates victory during the UEFA EURO 2024 Semi-Final match between Spain and France at Munich Football Arena on July 09, 2024 in Munich, Germany.
During the tournament, Yamal delivered four assists to match the competition’s record and surpass Ronaldo’s assists at knockout stages of major international tournaments: three for the Spanish and two for the Portuguese.
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Barcelona: Spain World Cup winner warns against comparing Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi might be a Barcelona legend, but Yamal already became the youngest player to ever score a goal in La Liga with Barca. It came on October 8, 2023, against Granada at 16 years, 2 months and 25 days old. In Messi’s case, the Argentine scored his first goal with Barcelona at 17.
What will Cristiano Ronaldo miss when he finally retires?
“What will you miss once you retire?,” was the question Rio Ferdinand asked Ronaldo, and the Portuguese already had an answer in mind: “Once I retire, I’m not gonna have the adrenaline, that’s got to go. Or to be nervous, I think I’m going to miss that.”
“I gave my body for 25 years of football, I can’t give more because the age doesn’t allow to go much further,” Ronaldo said, while addressing his next step in life. “Of course I’ll miss soccer, I might cry a little bit because I became more sensitive, but now I have another chapter of my life, a business part that I’m really excited about.”
