Nations League final: Spain-Portugal more than Yamal battle, says Ronaldo

Defending champions Spain look 2019 winners, and Iberian rivals, Portugal successful Sunday’s Nations League last successful Munich.

Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledged that helium was “another generation” to Spain starlet Lamine Yamal but said Sunday’s Nations League final was much than conscionable a conflict betwixt the duo.

The last successful Munich has been framed arsenic a showdown betwixt seasoned Ronaldo, 40, 1 of the game’s biggest names, and 17-year-old Yamal, the astir breathtaking young endowment successful satellite football.

Ronaldo scored the victor to nonstop Portugal past Germany into the final, and Yamal was named man-of-the-match aft bagging a brace successful Spain’s chaotic 5-4 semifinal triumph implicit France.

Ronaldo, however, said the absorption connected the 2 individuals was overblown, calling Spain “maybe the champion nationalist squad successful the world”.

“There are antithetic generations, 1 is coming successful and different is exiting the stage. If you privation to spot maine arsenic different generation, past that’s OK.

“When you speech astir a clash betwixt Cristiano and idiosyncratic else, that’s not however it works. The media ever effort to hype things up, which is simply a mean thing, but it’s 1 squad versus different team.”

“You’ve been talking astir Lamine a batch and you’re close to bash truthful due to the fact that he’s precise good,” Ronaldo told journalists, adding, “but I’d similar to speech astir the team.

“They’ve got Nico Williams, large midfielders similar Pedri and their manager [Luis] de la Fuente is precise good, precise strong, precise disciplined.”

Spain’s Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring his side’s 3rd extremity against France int the Nations League semifinal with Spain’s Nico Williams [Angelika Warmuth/Reuters]

Portugal past bushed their Iberian neighbours successful a competitory fixture 21 years ago, successful a lucifer which Ronaldo started.

Like Yamal, Ronaldo burst onto the country astatine a young age.

Aged conscionable 18, Ronaldo impressed truthful overmuch for boyhood broadside Sporting successful a 3-1 triumph implicit Manchester United successful a affable successful Lisbon that the English nine decided to bargain him, bringing him to Old Trafford little than a week later.

Like a young Ronaldo, Yamal has consistently impressed since bursting onto the scene, winning a league and cupful treble with Barcelona this play aft lifting the Euro 2024 rubric successful Germany past year.

The Portuguese seasoned asked the media to let the teen to turn and amended without pressure, reminding them the Spanish prima “with comic hair” was conscionable “three years older than my son”.

“The kid has been doing precise well, but what I inquire is for you to fto him grow, not enactment him nether pressure. For the bully of football, we request to fto him turn successful his ain mode and bask the endowment helium has.”

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said Yamal was “only 17, but precise mature for his age. Well-prepared, intelligent – helium lives beingness arsenic if it’s each normal, and that’s what we privation for him”.

De la Fuente said the nationalist broadside were “trying to locomotion alongside [Yamal] successful his education,” but added “you’d beryllium surprised, shocked, however calm helium is.

“He’s special. For immoderate people, this would beryllium a concern of maximum stress. But for him, he’s relaxed, he’s successful power – helium masters the situation.”

The manager besides took clip to praise Ronaldo, calling him “a fable successful shot and an illustration of the values I like: effort, enactment rate, sacrifice, getting amended each time and ne'er letting your defender down.

“Portugal are led by a footballer who volition spell down successful past with an indelible legacy.”

Both Spain and Portugal person already won the Nations League. Spain are the existent champions from their triumph successful 2023, portion Portugal won the inaugural tourney backmost successful 2019.

Spain person won 16 and drawn 2 of their past 18 fixtures – and person not mislaid a competitory lucifer since March 2023.

Spain guardant Mikel Oyarzabal told reporters his broadside “do not deliberation we are amended than anyone,” but “we spot ourselves 100 percent and cognize we tin vie successful each game.

“We’ve shown that implicit the years. Our level is precise high.”

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies