While Yamal has achieved more than Ronaldo as a teenager, he will do well to match the Portugal captain’s longevity.
At the age of 40, Ronaldo is still prolific for country and club, albeit in the lesser league of Saudi Arabia. He is expected to sign a new deal with Al-Nassr this summer.
His winner in the Nations League semi-final against Germany was his 137th goal in his 220th cap, both figures records in men’s international football.
In total, he has 937 career goals, also a record, and is on course to reach 1,000 in two years.
His consistency is stunning too, with the 17 goals he scored in 2022-23 for Manchester United and Al-Nassr combined his least prolific season in the past 19 years.
By the time Yamal was born, in July 2007, Ronaldo already had 46 caps.
He won the Ballon d’Or, the Champions League and became the most expensive footballer of all time (joining Real Madrid from United for £80m) before Yamal started school.
And his son, Portugal Under-15 international Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, is only three years younger than Yamal.
