As Lamine Yamal continues his meteoric rise, he’s already attracted attention from across the globe, and he’s not stopping any time soon.

At just 17-years-old, Yamal has already established himself as one of the best players in his position. The winger won EURO 2024 with Spain over the summer, and has been key for Barcelona over the last year.

Now, he’s got a fan in Cristiano Ronaldo, who a lot of people consider to be one of the greatest footballers of all time. Despite still playing for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo took the time to join Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, where the topic of Yamal came up.

Ronaldo said: “I see a lot of potential and great talent. He needs a bit of luck because he is still very young. I hope he doesn’t have any problems.”

✨ Cristiano Ronaldo: “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”. pic.twitter.com/26QyCPHXel

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 19, 2024

CR7’s comments about not having problems couldn’t be more relevant. Given the hype surrounding Ansu Fati a few years ago, who was awarded Lionel Messi’s former number 10 shirt, his career has taken a tumble following a few injuries.

The Portuguese forward continued: “I believe Lamine Yamal will be one of the best players of this new generation.”

Ronaldo was also asked if he believes that Yamal can do things that both he and Messi couldn’t do at 17. He admitted: “Yes, that’s true.”

‼️ Even you and Messi couldn't do what Lamine Yamal did at this age.

🎙️ Cristiano Ronaldo: "Yes, that's true." pic.twitter.com/usdhNDDVKU

— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) September 19, 2024

Yamal’s rise has been unbelievable, and it seems like Ronaldo is being cautious in what he says, perhaps because of his legacy at Real Madrid. To everyone else, Yamal currently looks nailed on as a future Ballon d’Or winner.