Rooney compares Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams to Ronaldo

Former England international Wayne Rooney has praised two young Spanish football talents, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, comparing them to superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Man United legend has heaped praise on Spanish wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams as he warned England defenders to be wary of them. Rooney claims Barca’s Yamal will be full of confidence after his world-class strike in the semi-final against France, seeing similarities between the 17-year-old and himself when he made his Euro debut 20 years ago.

Rooney went on to compare Williams’ abilities to that of a young Ronaldo, as the Bilbao forward has formidable physical strength on the pitch and the ability to take on defenders with ease.

Speaking to The Times, Rooney said: “England will need to defend well on the flanks against Spain as their two talented young wingers are the main threat. Lamine Yamal will be brimming with confidence after his fantastic goal against France and he reminds me a bit of me at Euro 2004 – a teenager having the time of his life.

Nico Williams compared to Ronaldo

“Fear? Young guys like him, Nico Williams and Mainoo haven’t lived long enough to know or understand what it is. On the big stage of the EUROs, they just play and enjoy themselves, and that’s usually the best way to play.”

He added: “For me, Williams is a special player. He reminds me of Ronaldo when he was young. He’s a big lad. He will win the ball and sometimes try too hard but usually makes the right decisions. He’s an incredible threat in one-on-one situations and scores goals too. England need to be really careful with him.”

Rooney’s warning is well-founded, as Yamal and Williams have 30 and 29 successful dribbles respectively, behind only Jeremy Doku (34), Jamal Musiala, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele (32) at EURO 2024. The pair also contributed 2 goals and 4 assists for the Spanish team.