Ex-La Liga coach compares Barcelona man's 'process' to Cristiano Ronaldo's at Manchester United; believes player can reach Mbappe's level
Former Celta Vigo manager Carlos Carvalhal recently compared Lamine Yamal's growth at Barcelona to that of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. Carvalhal further tipped Yamal to reach Kylian Mbappe's level.
Yamal has turned out to be the brightest prospect in Spanish football since making his senior debut for La Blaugrana last season. The 16-year-old has once again turned out to be a key player for Xavi's side this term, racking up two assists in nine matches across competitions.
Yamal is touted to become a superstar in the near future and Carvalhal has now compared his growth at the Catalan club with that of Ronaldo under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Much like Xavi is helping Yamal grow properly, Sir Alex Ferguson took a teenage Ronaldo under his wings to forge him into becoming one of the best players in the world. Speaking about Yamal's progress, Carvalhal told SPORT:
“When he starts he does very well and when he gets ten minutes, he does too. It reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo’s process with Ferguson at Manchester United. This is a very important process for his growth and Xavi is doing a phenomenal job.”
The 57-year-old Portuguese manager also said Yamal has the potential to become a global superstar like Kylian Mbappe:
“He has tremendous potential and, if he continues like this, he’s going to be at Mbappé’s level."
Carvalhal, though, sounded a word of caution regarding Yamal, saying that a bright talent like him needs to be nurtured with care. He added:
“Beware of young players and the path they take, although it doesn’t seem to be the case with Lamine. He is at a club that knows how to take care of its players, knows how to manage them.”
Manchester United wanted Cristiano Ronaldo to join Barcelona in 2009: Reports
According to a sensational report from AS, Manchester United wanted Cristiano Ronaldo to join Barcelona instead of Real Madrid in 2009. The Portuguese completed a move to Los Blancos for a then-world record fee of €94 million in 2009.
According to the aforementioned report, Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Ronaldo to complete a move to Camp Nou instead and contacted the Blaugrana regarding the matter.
While a hypothetical move could have been Cristiano Ronaldo teaming up with Lionel Messi, it never materialized. Ronaldo instead went on to have a nine-year-long spell at Real Madrid. He left Los Blancos as the club's all-time top scorer with 450 goals to his name.