Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal has been tipped to become as good as Cristiano Ronaldo in the future by the man who represents both of them: super agent Jorge Mendes.
Yamal is already better than Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi, was at the same age. The winger only celebrated his 17th birthday in July, on the eve of helping Spain win Euro 2024. By then, he'd already had a full season of being Barcelona's best player under his belt too.
At 17, both Ronaldo and Messi debuted in professional football, but it was three or four more years before either could lay claim to being the best at their respective clubs.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in history, he is unique. He was, he is and he will continue to be. If there is someone now who can be like him, that would be Lamine Yamal, but in the future," Mendes told Marcathis week.
"He is the one with the most talent and the one with the most possibilities of doing things well. He can win several Ballons d'Or."
Lamine Yamal
Yamal has been Barcelona's best player since he was 16 / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages
Mendes implied that Ronaldo, who is known for his dedication to football – once telling a packed World Cup press conference to drink water instead of the sponsor cola drink - is the example Yamal ought to follow if he wants to fulfil his natural talent to its maximum potential.
"Cristiano is the best. I have always thought so. He is an example, in training, in nutrition, work on the field and off the field. He is an example to explain what should be done," Mendes explained.
"Football is not just about coming and scoring goals. There are many things behind it. The agent has to be there and help the player succeed."
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