Rio Ferdinand claims that ‘artist’ Lamine Yamal is ‘more advanced than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’ at his age following his performance in the UEFA Champions League.

Cristiano and Messi ‘nowhere near’ Yamal at 17

Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Lamine Yamal following a breathtaking performance for Barcelona against Internazionale in the UEFA Champions League. The former Manchester United defender believes Yamal’s development at just 17 years old surpasses that of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the same age.

Yamal celebrated his 100th appearance for Barcelona in style, scoring a stunning individual goal in the semi-final first leg on Wednesday. Ferdinand was effusive in his admiration for the young talent’s display.

He told TNT Sports: “It was one of the best 45 minutes I’ve seen – definitely from a young player – but almost from any player I’ve seen live. It’s just ridiculous what he’s done. His ability to take people on is remarkable. What really caught my eye, aside from the moments of brilliance, is that he used every part of his left foot in that game. He’s an artist.”

Ferdinand went on to highlight Yamal’s impressive statistics, stating, “At this age, he’s ahead of Cristiano, he’s ahead of Messi. His stats alone – he’s had 100 appearances at 17! These guys were nowhere near that, and he’s dominating games, he’s defining games.”

The forward already boasts an impressive honours list that would be the envy of many seasoned veterans, including one Spanish title, one Spanish Cup, and a Euro 2024 winners’ medal with Spain.

Ferdinand noted that Yamal’s achievements at such a young age are unprecedented. “The trophies that he’s won, and he’s been integral to winning those trophies for both club and country. He’s on the cusp of maybe doing a treble for Barcelona and being one of the best players. At 17, we have not seen this.”

His confidence on the pitch is evident, and Ferdinand remarked on Yamal’s self-assuredness during a recent press conference, where he expressed that both he and Barcelona are poised to dominate.

The conversation between Ferdinand and Peter Crouch shifted to Yamal’s performances as he progressed through the youth ranks. They both acknowledged how the teenager is replicating those dazzling displays at the highest level.

Ferdinand added, “Crouchy, you made a great point earlier. When you see his clips as a baby or 10, 11, 12, 13 years old, he’s only mirroring what he’s doing now. That’s the scary part. I only saw the clips of him after this performance against Inter that were coming out, as a kid in the youth team, and he was literally doing this, but now he’s doing it at the highest stage of them all.”

Yamal’s brilliance has been described as ‘not normal’, with Ferdinand stating, “We haven’t seen it before.”

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