Comparing Lamine Yamal’s career record to Cristiano Ronaldo’s after 100 games

Ben Stewart • 21 Feb 2025

Lamine Yamal has now racked up 100 senior appearances for club and country, but how does his record stack up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s after the same number of matches?

Like Yamal, Ronaldo was also considered a wonderkid from a young age. CR7 made his senior debut for Sporting at the age of 17 and quickly developed from that point onwards.

Following his breakthrough season in 2002-03, he made the lucrative switch to Manchester United and was quickly thrust into stardom.

Ronaldo also made a significant impression on the international stage as a teenager. He made his Portugal debut at 18 and one year later was named in the Euro 2004 team of the tournament.

While plenty of youngsters have been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the past, most of them have understandably wilted under the pressure of expectation.

However, Yamal seems to be an exception to that rule. The 17-year-old is already a fully-fledged star for Barcelona and Spain, playing with a sense of maturity that is extremely rare for someone his age.

When discussing Yamal’s potential last year, Ronaldo spoke highly of the Barcelona wonderkid.

“I see huge potential and great talent in him,” Ronaldo said on his YouTube channel.

“But he needs luck because he is very young. I hope he doesn’t have any physical problems.

“Lamine is in a context that helps him a lot, the Spanish national team is very good and I think he has a lot of potential. But let’s see along the way what will happen.

“I think he will make it. I think Lamine Yamal will be one of the best players of this new generation.”

Yamal’s rise to stardom has been so rapid that he’s already racked up 100 senior appearances before turning 18. For context, Ronaldo was only four months shy of his 20th birthday when he made his 100th career appearance.

It’s therefore hugely impressive that Yamal has managed to score more goals and produce more assists than Ronaldo did in his first 100 professional games.

As of writing, the Barcelona star averages a goal or assist every 131 minutes, whereas Ronaldo averaged a goal contribution every 154.5 minutes during his first 100 games.

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Of course, Yamal’s prolific early years are no guarantee that he’ll have a career anywhere close to Ronaldo’s, but the early signs are hugely promising.

In 100 games, Yamal has already produced 51 goals and assists for club and country. For context, it took Ronaldo 137 games until he reached that same figure as a youngster.

Here’s the full breakdown of how Yamal’s record compares to Ronaldo’s after 100 senior appearances for club and country: