'Let him grow' - Ronaldo and Yamal to meet on Sunday

"There are different generations, one is coming in and another is exiting the stage. If you want to see me as another generation, then that's OK.

"When you talk about a clash between Cristiano and someone else, that's not how it works. The media always try to hype things up, which is a normal thing, but it's one team versus another."

So says Cristiano Ronaldo (the best player in his 40s in the world) who comes up against Lamine Yamal (the best teenager in the world) in Sunday's Nations League final.

Yamal's Spain take on Ronaldo's Portugal in Munich for the trophy - with both players having netted in their semi-final wins.

It marks the first time that Barcelona's Yamal, being talked about as a potential Ballon d'Or winner this season, will face five-time winner Ronaldo, who is out of contract at Saudi club Al-Nassr this summer.

BBC Sport looks at what Ronaldo and Yamal had to say about each other this week - and how they compare.

Both players were asked about each other in the build-up to this fixture.

Ronaldo, 40, said: "This kid has been doing things really well at a club and national team that help him very much.

"It's a great atmosphere for him to show his quality.

"Let him grow, do not put him under pressure so we can enjoy a talent like this for many years.

"I would like to take pressure off him and leave him alone. He's got plenty of talent."

Yamal, who turns 18 on 13 July, said: "He's a football legend. I, like all the players, have huge respect for Cristiano.

"This is the kind of game I want to play, to prove who I am."

The start to Yamal's career has been spectacular.

This is his final game before he turns 18 and he has already won the European Championship with Spain, and two La Liga titles and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.

He has played 106 times for Barcelona, in that time scoring 25 goals and assisting another 18. For Spain, he has 20 caps, six goals and nine assists.

He has netted in the semi-final of a European Championship, Champions League and the Nations League - striking twice in Thursday's 5-4 win over France. He has also scored four El Clasico goals against Real Madrid.

By the time Ronaldo turned 18, he had five goals and three assists in 19 games for Sporting and had yet to play for Portugal or win a major trophy.

Ronaldo was 22 before he won a league title (with Manchester United) and 31 when he won a major international trophy (Euro 2016).

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.