What a night for Cristiano Ronaldo! The Real Madrid legend shone bright in the Nations League final on Sunday, a match that some were calling a showdown between a seasoned champion and a promising young star, Lamine Yamal. Before the game, Ronaldo had some kind words for the 17-year-old, and afterward, he didn’t hold back either.
Portugal, in a dramatic twist, managed to come back twice against Spain in Munich. Nuno Mendes and Ronaldo found the net after Spain's Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal had put them ahead. And then, they clinched the win in a nail-biting penalty shootout. Now, Lamine Yamal, he had a hand in Spain's first goal but, honestly, it seemed like he had a tough time really making an impact. Mendes definitely got the better of him during both of Portugal's goals.
As for Ronaldo, he’s got a contract situation brewing — he’s set to be a free agent in less than four weeks since his deal with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia is running out. But, post-game, he assured everyone that he plans to stick around. “Nothing will change. Will I stay at Al-Nassr? Yes,” he said.
At 40, he acknowledged there’s still room to grow, especially when it comes to Yamal. “He’s going to win many titles, both collective and individual. 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,” Ronaldo pointed out.
And get this — he also came to the defence of Spain’s manager, Luis de la Fuente, who faced some backlash after the team seemed to lose their grip in the second half. “Your coach is a phenomenon. He knows better than I do – I’m not a coach – what the team needs. He’s already won several titles with Spain. What else do you want me to tell you? If the coach made the decision, it was because he thought it was the best thing to improve his team.”
For Spain, it was a tough pill to swallow after having enjoyed success in their last two competitions. Now, they’ll be gearing up for World Cup preparations over the next year, and de la Fuente has some work ahead of him, especially figuring out the midfield and filling those right-back and centre-forward spots. Quite a challenge, but hey, that’s football!
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