By Gerardo Romero
Sep 20, 2024, 3:42 PM EDT
Portuguese striker and star of Al-Nassr in the Saudi Arabian league, Cristiano Ronaldo, acknowledged the work that the young promise of FC Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, has been doing over the last year and surprised all his fans by revealing that he will become one of the great stars of Europe and possibly of world football.
The multiple Ballon d’Or winner made these statements during a broadcast on his YouTube channel, where he said that Yamal has enormous potential on the field of play that has allowed him to shine on the best stages in the world at just 17 years old.
Ronaldo, who recently surpassed the 900-goal mark in his professional career to become the all-time leading scorer, said Yamal was already achieving things that neither he nor his biggest rival, Lionel Messi, were doing at his age.
“He needs luck, because he is very young. I hope he doesn’t have any injury problems. He will be one of the best players of the new generation of footballers. He is in a context that helps him a lot, the Spanish national team is really good,” the Portuguese star stressed in his statements.
Praise from other figures
Cristiano Ronaldo’s words join those of a large number of top-level players in world football, such as English striker Harry Kane and Spaniard Dani Carvajal, who recognised Yamal’s ability to move the ball and create goal-scoring opportunities.
“What he does at 17 says a lot about him as a player. He plays without fear, with freedom and enjoys it. He will undoubtedly be one of the most difficult players to play against,” Kane told the media.
“He plays for a club like Barcelona and with the national team at a high level, Lamine has adapted very well to the group,” said Carvajal.
“He is extraordinary. Rodri always speaks wonders when he returns from the national team. If he plays it is because he is special. If Xavi gave him his debut it is because he had something special compared to the others,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
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