This Sunday, Spain and Portugal will compete for the title of Nations League champion. Just over 24 hours before the match, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke alongside coach Roberto Martinez in Portugal.
Ronaldo scored the decisive goal against France in the semi-finals and dreams of winning another title with his national team, with which he has already won the European Championship and the Nations League. The Portuguese was asked about his age and about Lamine Yamal.
World Cup favorites: Spain and Portugal?
«Spain — definitely, Portugal — we will see. Spain is more used to winning. I am not thinking about the long-term future. I don’t know what will happen, and I’m not worried. I am still playing and competing with people 20 years younger than me. I feel comfortable. I cannot say what will happen tomorrow. We must live in the moment, because the moment is beautiful», — quotes Ronaldo Marca.
What motivates at 40:
«I am not going to think too much about the future. I have very few years left to play. My career speaks for itself, so I am enjoying the moment. I cannot say when it will all end. Maybe tomorrow I will wake up and not want to play anymore. And I will think: “I’m done.” But right now I’m enjoying it. Let the wind of freedom blow».
About the “Ballon d’Or”:
«I love giving advice to anyone who wants to listen, but privately, one-on-one. In my opinion, the one who stands out and wins the Champions League should get the “Ballon d’Or”. But there is no unanimous opinion. I don’t really believe in individual awards because I know how much work goes into them. But the guy (Yamal) has a chance… They are not that important because there is no 100% consensus».
About Lamine Yamal, pressure, and his son:
«My son likes Lamine. I have a special affection for Spain. The greatest talents have always been Spanish. Williams is a great player, Pedri is incredible… The coach is doing a first-class job — you can see that he is disciplined. I hope tomorrow will be a great match and Portugal can win».
More about Lamine Yamal:
«The guy is doing very, very well. The club and national team are helping him a lot. He is in a favorable environment. But I ask to let the boy grow for the sake of football. Let him develop calmly, take the pressure off him. You can help him just by leaving him alone. After all, he lacks no talent».
Presence at the Club World Championship:
«Currently, it is irrelevant. I prefer to talk about other things. There have been many contacts, but one must think in the short, medium, and long terms. I am not going to the Club World Championship — that’s a fact».
Confrontation between Cristiano and Yamal in the final:
«It’s always like that. Every time there is a final, Cristiano plays against someone. You can compare Lamine to Vitinha, where the age difference is smaller, but everyone wants to make it “Cristiano against someone.” In reality, it’s not like that. We are a team against a team. We want to play a good match and win».
Wins and losses:
«It’s part of life. You can’t always win. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. Tomorrow is the last push of this season. It will be a tough match».
Favorites in the final:
«Finals are always tough. Spain has an unbeaten streak, but we also have our weapons. We will come out with a positive mindset and try to win».
About the final itself:
«We are confident in ourselves. I hope the team shows its best game and we win. The team is calm and believes that everything will be fine».
