Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal won two prizes at the 2025 Globe Soccer Awards, with Cristiano Ronaldo watching on from the front row and enjoying his acceptance speech
Cristiano Ronaldo looked flattered after a compliment from Lamine Yamal during his acceptance speech at the Globe Soccer Awards. Yamal, 18, was named Best Forward and Best U23 Men’s Player at the star-studded ceremony in Dubai on Sunday.
The Barcelona winger enjoyed a remarkable year, winning three trophies including the La Liga title. Yamal also came close to lifting the Nations League with Spain, only for Ronaldo’s Portugal to win the final on penalties.
But there’s no bad blood between the pair. When Yamal was asked who he’d like to be compared to, he gave an answer that Ronaldo enjoyed.
“In the end, it’s best not to compare yourself to anyone,” the 18-year-old replied. “Players like Cristiano Ronaldo did what they did because they wanted to be themselves and not compare themselves to others. I want to build my own path.”
The camera panned to Ronaldo, who was sitting with his fiancee, Georgina Rodriguez. The Al-Nassr striker couldn’t help but smile and give Yamal his approval.
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Ronaldo also had a successful night, picking up two awards for himself. The ex-Manchester United forward won the Best Middle Eastern Player and Top Goalscorer of All Time awards.
In June, ahead of the Nations League final, Ronaldo hailed Yamal as phenomenon and urged people to ‘leave him alone’. “He’s going to win a lot of titles, both collective and individual,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner predicted.
“He’s only 17 years old… I repeat: he’s a kid with a lot of room for improvement. He’s a phenomenon, but we have to leave him alone, that’s what I ask. He has a very long career ahead of him and will surely win the Nations League many times.”
Will Lamine Yamal become as good as Cristiano Ronaldo? Have your say in the comments section.
Ronaldo previously stated on UR, his YouTube channel, last year: “He’s got a huge potential. I see a lot of talent. But let’s see during his journey what’s going to happen.
“I think he’ll make it. He will be the best player of this new generation. He needs luck because he is very young. I hope he doesn’t have any problems. He is in a context that helps him a lot. Spain’s national team is really good.”
The next time that Yamal and Ronaldo could lock horns is during next summer’s World Cup. Spain are the reigning European champions while Ronaldo surely has one last chance to win football’s biggest prize with Portugal, who went out in the quarter-finals three years ago.
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