Mark Goldbridge slams Rio Ferdinand for making 'insulting' comment about Lamine Yamal

Talking head Mark Goldbridge has criticised Rio Ferdinand for his response to Lamine Yamal's incredible performance for Barcelona in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final draw against Inter Milan.

Yamal scored a fabulous goal to help Barcelona get back into the first leg of the tie after Simone Inzaghi's Inter had taken an early 2-0 lead.

The game at the Nou Camp ended 3-3 and the global reaction to Yamal's display has been glowing, with Inzaghi admitting that Inter had tried to put three men on the 17-year-old winger and pundits everywhere falling over themselves to crown football's newest young king.

Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand went all in, telling viewers of his Rio Reacts show that "Lamine Yamal, I think at the moment, I don't know if there's anyone more exciting to go into a stadium and watch right now."

Asked by Darren Fletcher if Yamal's long list of contributions for Barcelona and Spain, if they continue in the remainder of the season, mean he is a Ballon d'Or contender, Ferdinand replied: "Ballon d'Or. Ballon d'Or. Ballon d'Or. If he does what you just said, I think he deserves it."

Goldbridge is less convinced. The YouTube presenter posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Yamal is sensational but the mainstream coverage of him and handing him the Ballon d'Or is so insulting. [Barca teammate] Raphinha is having an immense season and so is [Ousmane] Dembele at PSG. Less Rio sensationalism and more realism in the analysis please."

There's logic in Goldbridge's view but Fletcher called out Spain's European Championship win and Yamal's direct impact throughout the knock-out rounds of the Champions League, neither of which can be matched by the players he named.

Ronaldo Nazario is the youngest-ever Ballon d'Or winner (Image: Getty)

It's unlikely either of them will see Ferdinand's praise for Yamal as an insult.

The youngest-ever winner of the Ballon d'Or was Ronaldo, who was give the award at the age of 21 in 1997 as the best player in Europe.

That was the year he moved from Barcelona to Inter, the team against whom Yamal made his own case this week.

He won the Ballon d'Or again in 2002 and is one of only ten men to be a multiple winner.