Yamal primed to 'prove' himself against 'legend' Ronaldo in Nations League final

Yamal scored twice and was named man of the match in a 5-4 win over the French in Stuttgart on Thursday, sealing progress to this weekend's Nations League final against their Iberian rivals.

A late French flourish obscured Spain's dominance, with La Roja cruising at 5-1 before dropping their intensity, allowing France to score three late goals.

As they did on their way to winning Euro 2024 in Germany last season, Spain's success was built on the foundation of wingers Yamal and Nico Williams. Williams, who got a goal of his own and set up another, was man of the match in the 2-1 Euro 2024 final win over England.

Thursday's victory puts 2021 Nations League winners against Portugal, who won the competition in 2019. "It's a special game, a final against a great team gives us extra motivation," Yamal told reporters.

"This is the kind of game I want to play, to prove who I am." Still just 17, Yamal will face off against Portugal veteran Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 23 years his senior. "He's a football legend," Yamal said.

"I, like all the players, have huge respect for Cristiano. I will do my job, which is to try to win, and that's it," he concluded.