Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed Lamine Yamal as a potential Ballon d’Or contender, due to both his age and Barcelona’s inability to win the prestigious Champions League trophy.
Yamal has grown into one of the biggest names in world football, just 17-years-old, the Spain international has emerged as a major contender to win the Ballon d’Or this year after a stunning season in which he has scored 18 goals and registered 25 assists.
However, Ronaldo believes there is too much pressure being placed on the 17-year-old, and also believes that a Paris Saint-Germain player should win the Ballon d’Or award, after their Champions League triumph.
Ronaldo told reporters: “Lamine Yamal is doing very well, he is taking full advantage of his talent. Now let the kid grow and don’t put too much pressure on him. Let him be and let him grow well, take the pressure off him. He has no shortage of talent.”
He added: “The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win. But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine could win, like Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players… But individual awards are irrelevant.”
Ronaldo and Yamal will come face to face in Sunday’s Nations League final, with a piece of silverware up for grabs.
