In an act of fatherly betrayal which falls narrowly short of Oedipus, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. admitted that Barcelona’s star forward Lamine Yamal is currently better than his dad—although it came with plenty of mitigation.
Ronaldo Sr. is at the opposite end of his career spectrum compared to Yamal. More than twice the age of his fellow forward, the 40-year-old Portugal icon has not played in one of Europe’s top five leagues since captaining Manchester United to a 3–1 defeat against Aston Villa in November 2022.
However, when Ronaldo’s Portugal came up against a Spanish side spearheaded by Yamal in this summer’s Nations League final, it was the senior man who came out on top, scoring a classic poacher’s stab in open play before overseeing a penalty shootout triumph.
Despite this collective success, it is widely accepted that Yamal, still very much on the rise at just 18 years young, is the superior player. U.S. streamer 2xRKai made this exact point to Ronaldo’s son on camera. “Right now? Yeah,” the Portugal U15 international shrugged.
“But he hasn't won anything yet,” Ronaldo Jr. insisted. “Lamine is very good, but he still hasn’t won anything yet.”
Rakai just told Cristiano Ronaldo’s son, Cristiano Jr, that Lamine Yamal is a better football player than his dad 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/r0rb6wOssW
— StreamsEra (@StreamersEra) July 14, 2025
It’s an intriguing statement given quite how stuffed the teenager’s cabinet already is. Yamal was a key factor behind Barcelona’s domestic treble in 2024–25 after leading Spain to the Euro 2024 title. As he was quick to point out himself during his birthday wishlist, Yamal is still yet to win the Champions League, a trophy Cristiano Ronaldo picked up five times.
While his son was keen to point out Yamal’s flaws, Cristiano Sr. has been full of praise for the youngster. “This kid has been doing things really well at a club and national team that help him very much,” he said before that Nations League final clash in June. “Let him grow, do not put him under pressure so we can enjoy a talent like this for many years.
“I would like to take pressure off him and leave him alone. He’s got plenty of talent.”
The respect was mutual. “He’s a football legend,” Yamal gushed. “I, like all the players, have huge respect for Cristiano.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Son Admits World Star Is Better Than His Dad.
