Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged the generational gap between himself and Spain’s Lamine Yamal ahead of Sunday’s Nations League final but stressed that the match was not solely about the two players.
The final in Munich has been framed as a showdown between the 40-year-old Ronaldo, one of football’s biggest stars, and 17-year-old Yamal, widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the world.
Ronaldo scored the decisive goal that sent Portugal into the final after a win over Germany, while Yamal was named man of the match following a brace in Spain’s thrilling 5-4 semi-final victory over France.
However, Ronaldo downplayed the focus on the two individuals, praising Spain as “maybe the best national team in the world.” He explained, “There are different generations – one is coming in, and another is leaving. If you want to see me as part of another generation, that’s fine. But 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, but it’s one team versus another team.”
Ronaldo acknowledged Yamal’s talent, saying, “You’ve been talking about Lamine a lot, and you’re right to do so because he’s very good. But I’d like to talk about the team. They’ve got Nico Williams, great midfielders like Pedri, and their coach (Luis) de la Fuente is very good, very strong, very disciplined.”
Portugal’s last competitive win over their Iberian neighbours was 21 years ago at Euro 2004, a match in which Ronaldo played.
Like Yamal, Ronaldo made an early impression in his career. At just 18, he caught the attention of Manchester United with a stunning performance for Sporting against the English club in a friendly, which led to his transfer to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who also burst onto the international scene at a young age, asked the media to allow Yamal to develop without undue pressure, reminding them that the Spanish teenager, “with funny hair,” was only “three years older than my son.”
“The kid has been doing very well, but what I ask is for you to let him grow, not put him under pressure. For the good of football, we need to let him grow in his way and enjoy the talent he has,” Ronaldo added.
Both Spain and Portugal have previously won the Nations League, with Spain as the current champions after their victory in 2023, while Portugal claimed the inaugural title in 2019.
