Munich, Germany – The UEFA Nations League final on Sunday evening in Munich will present a captivating generational encounter, pitting Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, widely considered the best player in his 40s, against Spain’s Lamine Yamal, touted as the world’s best teenager. This marks the first senior-level meeting between the two footballing titans, both of whom scored in their respective semi-final victories.
The match sees Barcelona’s Yamal, who is already being discussed as a potential future Ballon d’Or winner, come up against five-time recipient Ronaldo, whose contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr concludes this summer.
Addressing the anticipation surrounding their match-up, Ronaldo, at 40, downplayed any personal rivalry. “There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage,” he said. “If you want to see me as another generation, then that’s OK. When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that’s not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it’s one team versus another.”
Both players were asked about each other in the build-up to the final. Ronaldo offered advice to his younger counterpart: “This kid has been doing things really well at a club and national team that help him very much. It’s a great atmosphere for him to show his quality. Let him grow, do not put him under pressure so we can enjoy a talent like this for many years. I would like to take pressure off him and leave him alone. He’s got plenty of talent.”
Yamal, who turns 18 on July 13, expressed profound respect for his opponent. “He’s a football legend. I, like all the players, have huge respect for Cristiano,” Yamal stated. “This is the kind of game I want to play, to prove who I am.”
Yamal’s Explosive Start vs. Ronaldo’s Early Career
The early trajectory of Yamal’s career has been nothing short of spectacular. This Nations League final marks his last game before his 18th birthday, and he has already secured the European Championship with Spain, alongside two La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona. He has made 106 appearances for Barcelona, contributing 25 goals and 18 assists. For the Spanish national team, he holds 20 caps, with six goals and nine assists, notably scoring twice in Spain’s 5-4 semi-final win over France. He has also found the net four times in El Clásico matches against Real Madrid, and scored in the semi-finals of the European Championship, Champions League, and Nations League.
In contrast, by the time Ronaldo turned 18, he had registered five goals and three assists in 19 games for Sporting Lisbon and had yet to make his debut for the Portuguese national team or win a major trophy. Ronaldo was 22 before he secured a league title with Manchester United and 31 before winning a major international trophy with Portugal at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo’s Unmatched Longevity
While Yamal’s teenage achievements surpass Ronaldo’s at the same age, matching the Portugal captain’s enduring longevity will be a formidable challenge. At 40, Ronaldo continues to be a prolific scorer for both club and country, albeit currently playing in Saudi Arabia. He is widely expected to sign a new deal with Al-Nassr this summer.
His decisive goal in the Nations League semi-final against Germany marked his 137th goal in 220 international caps, both world records in men’s football. With a staggering 937 career goals to his name, also a record, Ronaldo is on track to reach the unprecedented 1,000-goal mark within the next two years. His consistency is remarkable; the 17 goals he scored across Manchester United and Al-Nassr in the 2022-23 season represent his least prolific output in the last 19 years.
For perspective, when Lamine Yamal was born in July 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo already had 46 international caps. Ronaldo had already won a Ballon d’Or, a Champions League title, and become the world’s most expensive footballer (joining Real Madrid for £80 million) before Yamal even started school. Intriguingly, Ronaldo’s son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., who is a Portugal Under-15 international, is only three years younger than Yamal.
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