Cristiano Ronaldo Praises Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, Urges Fans to 'Let The Kid Grow'

Cristiano Ronaldo showered Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal with great praise, but he also implored fans to not put too much pressure on the 17-year-old as he continues to develop during his professional career.

Yamal has been exceptional both internationally and domestically. He helped guide Spain to its fourth European Championship last year en route to winning the competition's Young Player Award. And he just helped Barcelona win La Liga, posting nine goals and 13 assists in 35 matches.

Yamal most recently starred for Spain again in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League finals, scoring a pair of goals in a 5-4 win over France on Thursday.

So his stardom continues as Yamal showcases his tremendous talent to potentially become the sport's next great superstar. He appears well on that trajectory already at just 17 years old, especially given how much he's already accomplished thus far.

As Ronaldo noted, though, it wouldn't be fair for fans to put too much pressure on him either. Expectations might be great given how well he's performed, but at 17 years old, he obviously has a long way to go in his career.

Now Spain will face Portugal in the finals on Sunday. Portugal advanced to the final round after Ronaldo scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Germany.

Kickoff will take place at 3 p.m. ET in Munich's Allianz Arena.