Cristiano Ronaldo did not hesitate naming who should win this year's Ballon d'Or out of Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele.
The pair are the two favourites to win the 2025 gong after their incredible feats for club and country.
Yamal and Dembele met on the pitch on Thursday night as Spain played France in the UEFA Nations League semi-final and it was the former who came out on top, scoring twice in a thrilling 5-4 win in Stuttgart.
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Following up last year's Euro 2024 victory with starring role in a Nations League triumph could move Yamal closer to getting his hands on the Ballon d'Or as the youngest ever recipient.
The 17-year-old wonderkid scored 18 goals and registered 25 assists for Barcelona as they won La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
However, former Barca winger Dembele is also a strong contender after the best season of his career saw him score 33 times and help Paris Saint-Germain finally win the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo gives Ballon d'Or opinion ahead of Nations League
And Ronaldo, who won the coveted award five times, has given his take on who should collect the prize as he revealed his own personal criteria.
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Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain, Ronaldo said: "The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win. But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine could win, like Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players… But individual awards are irrelevant."
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The final at the Allianz Arena will be the first time Ronaldo comes up against Yamal, who is 23 years younger than him and was just one when the Portugal sensation won his first Ballon d'Or.
Having had at the world at his feet as a youngster at Manchester United, Ronaldo urged media to resist putting pressure on Yamal.
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"Lamine Yamal? I ask you to let the boy grow for the good of football," he stated.
"Let him grow calmly and take the pressure off him. You can help him by leaving him alone because he doesn't lack talent."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembele, Ballon d'Or, Champions League
Josh Lawless