“I hope he does not have any problem in the future” - Cristiano Ronaldo makes feelings clear about Barcelona superstar
Cristiano Ronaldo recently hailed Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal as one of the best in this generation. The 17-year-old La Masia graduate has quickly become one of Barca's most important players and was also a key part of Spain's victory in the 2024 Euros.
The Spaniard continued with his impressive form this season, registering three goals and four assists in five La Liga games for Barcelona so far. Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, Cristiano Ronaldo shared his views on Lamine Yamal and said:
"I see a lot of talent in Lamine Yamal. I hope he does not have any problem in the future and I think he will be one of the best in this generation, for sure."
Ferdinand also asked Ronaldo to reflect on how Yamal has been doing what Lionel Messi and he were not doing at his age. The Portuguese talisman responded:
“Yes. The national team helped him a lot because he was very good. I think he has great potential. But let’s see, if he has his way, that’s what will happen. But I believe he will achieve it.”
This is not the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken highly of Lamine Yamal, having named him as one of the players who could win the Ballon d'Or in the future.
The Barcelona star recently made it to the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 Men's Ballon d'Or, marking his first nomination for the coveted award. He also remains the favorite to win the 2024 Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award this time.
Cristiano Ronaldo's record against Barcelona explored
During his time in Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo has faced Barcelona 34 times across all competitions, recording 10 wins, nine draws and 15 losses. He found the net against Barca 20 times while recording three assists.
Six of these appearances came in the UEFA Champions League, 18 of them in La Liga and five appearances each in the Copa del Rey and and Supercopa de Espana.
In the UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo faced La Blaugrana three times as a Manchester United player, including the 2008-09 UCL final, where the Red Devils lost 2-0.
Ronaldo's next UCL encounter with Barcelona came as a Real Madrid player in the 2010-11 semi-final when Los Blancos suffered a 3-1 victory. The legendary forward most recently faced La Blaugrana while playing for Juventus in the 2020-21 season, winning on a 3-2 aggregate in the group stage. However, Ronaldo was unavailable for the first leg.
Apart from the UCL, Ronaldo played regularly against Barcelona between 2009 to 2018 while representing Real Madrid. In 18 La Liga clashes against the Catalan giants, the Portuguese legend recorded four wins, four draws and 10 losses.
In the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo had two wins, two draws and one loss against the Catalan side while the Portuguese international suffered two wins and losses each, and one draw in the Supercopa de Espana.