Rio Ferdinand makes stance clear when asked if Lamine Yamal is better than what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were at 17

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has stated that teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is better than what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were at 17 years of age. Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greatest players to have played the game.

Despite being in the twilight of their careers, the duo have continued to strut their stuff at their respective clubs. Meanwhile, Yamal, who burst onto the scene after his heroics with Spain in Euro 2024, is proving that he has what it takes to reach the heights of Messi and Ronaldo.

At just 17 years old, Yamal has already set and broken a lot of records and is also a strong contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or. In a recent episode on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand was asked if Yamal was a better player than Ronaldo at 17, to which he responded: :

“Yes! Lamine Yamal is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi at 17 years old. His potential or ceiling them to might be better. They’ve gone and produced it. But what I’m talking about, the body of work at 17 years old, no one’s done it. Pele may, but I didn’t see Pele. But this guy is doing stuff. So, we’re meant to be sitting there going. He’s had one bad game by the way in a big game [referring to the Nations League final between Portugal and Spain]. Every big game, we’ve seen him play, the guy’s produced.”

Yamal played an integral role in Barcelona’s domestic treble in the 2024-25 campaign, registering 43 goal contributions for the Catalan club in 55 appearances across competitions.

“Just enjoy them” – Rio Ferdinand urges football fans to stop the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi comparison

In the same interview, Ferdinand told football fans to stop comparing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Englishman admitted to being biased towards the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and urged fans appreciate both players rather than comparing them.

He said (2:32 onwards):

“I’ve obviously been a bit more swayed and talked about Ronaldo much more. But that’s because I played with him and there’s a bit of bias there and that’s just natural. You see who you are familiar with but to sit there and go, ‘Wow! I’m witnessing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. I’ve played against and with these guys. I am lucky. We’re in a period where they are still playing now. Just enjoy them. When I see, on, you’re lucky. You can’t call these two classic lucky.”

Ferdinand played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, and he squared off against Lionel Messi when the Argentine was at Barcelona.