Cristiano Ronaldo dismisses Lamine Yamal as Ballon d'Or candidate for key reason as Portuguese superstar urges 'pressure' to be taken off Barcelona wonderkid

Yamal has emerged as a major contender to win the Ballon d'Or this year after a stunning season in which he has scored 18 goals and registered 25 assists. Ronaldo, though, is wary of too much pressure being placed on the 17-year-old, and also believes that a Paris Saint-Germain player should win the award, after their Champions League triumph, as he prepares to play against the teenager in the UEFA Nations League final when Portugal face Spain on Sunday.

Kylian Mbappe has also backed Ousmane Dembele for the award over Yamal, insisting it is "very clear" that the France international should win the prize. The winger scored 33 goals and registered 15 assists across all competitions, including two assists in their 5-0 demolition of Inter in the Champions League final.

Ronaldo told reporters: "Lamine Yamal is doing very well, he is taking full advantage of his talent. Now let the kid grow and don’t put too much pressure on him. Let him be and let him grow well, take the pressure off him. He has no shortage of talent."

He added: "The individual awards have lost some consensus; I can’t say anything about who should win. In my opinion, those who stand out and win the Champions League should win. But there is no consensus. I don’t believe much in individual awards because I know what goes on behind the scenes. Lamine could win, like Dembele or Vitinha, other emerging players… But individual awards are irrelevant."

Ronaldo and Yamal will come face to face in Sunday's Nations League final, with a piece of silverware up for grabs.