The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony finally broke the long-standing grip of the legendary Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly. Before Rodri's triumph, only three players had ever managed to steal football’s most coveted individual prize from the iconic pair since 2008. But with both now plying their trade outside Europe, it feels like the curtain has officially fallen on that golden era, and a new chapter is underway.
With the stage wide open, predicting this year’s winner feels similar to reading tea leaves. Without the two usual suspects dominating the conversations, the footballing world is waiting - almost pleading - for a new star to rise and fill the void. Among the early contenders for the crown include Raphinha, Mohamed Salah, and Champions League winner Ousmane Dembele.
Yet, as the October gala draws closer, it’s the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal - just 17 - who seems most poised to take a stranglehold of the game for the next decade or more, regardless of whether he wins the golden ball this year. And with hindsight, Ronaldo’s comments about the youngster at the start of the season are ageing very well indeed as they are set to face each other in the Nations League final on Sunday.
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What Ronaldo Said About Yamal At Start of 2024/25 Season
He seems to have spoken the Spaniard's impending reign into existence
Cristiano Ronaldo
Still scoring goals for fun, even though his 40th birthday is now been and gone, Ronaldo is well-versed in what it takes to be the world's very best. During his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid, he claimed five Ballon d'Or awards, won five Champions League titles, and was the driving force behind Portugal's Euro 2016 triumph. At the start of the 2024/25 season, he pushed the spotlight away from himself by tipping Yamal to become next in line to be football's magnum opus.
"He's got a huge potential," Ronaldo told Rio Ferdinand on his Youtube channel eight months ago. "I see a lot of talent. But let's see during his journey what's going to happen." More importantly, he added (watch the full interview below):
"But I think he'll make it. He will be the best player of this new generation."
Yamal's manager, Hansi Flick, believes there's only one better player in world football right now, and many onlookers have been quick to question whether Lionel Messi was ever as good as Yamal was during his youth. But it is his age that Ronaldo was keen to show a bit of cautious optimism with.
"He needs luck because he is very young," Ronaldo added. "I hope he doesn't have any problems [injuries]. He is in a context that helps him a lot. Spain's national team is really good."
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Lamine Yamal Is Already One of the World's Best
Ronaldo's predictions are coming true much sooner than everyone expected
lamine yamal-3
In his breakthrough season, at just 16-years-old, Yamal became the youngest scorer in LaLiga history and the youngest player ever to feature at a European Championship in the subsequent summer. He won the Young Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024 after helping Spain claim their record-breaking fourth title, with a goal and four assists throughout the continent's showpiece event.
But in his sophomore campaign, he's reached even dizzier heights, and there's genuine reason to believe he's already one of the best players in the beautiful game right now, despite Ronaldo showing a bit of caution due to his age. In 55 games across all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, the young Spaniard has scored 18 goals and produced a further 25 assists, having won the La Liga and Copa del Rey, before missing out on a place in the Champions League final via a defeat to Inter Milan.
During his most recent outing, a stunning 5-4 win over France in the Nations League semi-final, he found the back of the net twice and was crowned Man of the Match, proving his reign of terror isn't limited to lower league opposition, as he eyes up yet another final against Ronaldo's Portugal. Watch his highlights below:
As the highlights compilation above shows, Yamal isn’t just proving his brilliance through stats - his talent is plain to see. The way he glides past defenders with effortless dribbling is strikingly reminiscent of a certain Lionel Messi.
Even more impressive is how quickly his decision-making is maturing. It’s genuinely frightening to imagine how good he could become once he hits his prime, which might still be six or seven years away yet. To put his youth into perspective, he will be 22 in 2029 and therefore still eligible for the Golden Boy award.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 06/06/2025)