Cristiano Ronaldo's son has named the footballer better than his father, and it is not his greatest rival, Lionel Messi, with whom he shared the stage for more than a decade.

Ronaldo is one of the best players in his generation and is widely considered as one of the greatest of all time alongside Pele, Diego Maradona and Messi.

The Portuguese international played for the top teams in Europe: Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus before moving to the lucrative Saudi league with Al-Nassr.

He is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner and also has five UEFA Champions League winners' medals and is the highest goalscorer in the competition with 141 goals.

Cristiano Jr names player better than his father

Ronaldo’s son Cristiano Jr has named Lamine Yamal as the better player than his father at the moment, though he believes he must win enough to be reckoned with.

“Right now? Yeah. But he hasn't won anything yet. Lamine is very good, but he still hasn’t won anything yet,” he said as quoted by beIN Sport.

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

Yamal turned 18 this week and is already regarded as the best player in the world after a standout performance for Barcelona in the just-concluded season.

Cristiano Jr's statement that Yamal has not won anything probably refers to the top individual prize Ballon d'Or. He has won all domestic Spanish trophies with Barcelona and won Euro 2024 with Spain.

What Ronaldo said about Yamal

Ronaldo and Yamal met in the UEFA Nations League final, where Portugal won their second trophy after beating Iberian neighbours Spain 5-3 on penalties.

Speaking months before the encounter, Ronaldo admitted that he sees a lot of talent and potential in the Barcelona teenager, but he needs a lot of luck.

"He's got huge potential,” he told Rio Ferdinand on UR Cristiano.

“I see a lot of talent. But let's see during his journey what's going to happen.
“But I think he'll make it. He will be the best player of this new generation.”

"He needs luck because he is very young. I hope he doesn't have any problems [injuries]. He is in a context that helps him a lot. Spain's national team is really good.”

Yamal has been under scrutiny for his speeches at post-match conferences, which have come off as arrogant and his involvement with older women.