Lamine Yamal: It’ll be an honour to face Cristiano Ronaldo at World Cup

Spain winger Lamine Yamal says it would be an honour to come up against Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal booked a FIFA World Cup Round of 16 showdown with Spain.

Yamal made the remarks after helping Spain defeat Austria in the Round of 32 on Thursday to secure a place in the last 16.

Following Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia, which set up a meeting with Spain, the 18-year-old admitted he is excited by the prospect of facing the Portuguese captain but stressed that his main focus is helping Spain reach the quarter-finals.

> “Well, I don’t really care – Croatia or Portugal,” Yamal said, according to DAZN.

“It would be an honour, obviously, to play against Cristiano, but I am focused on winning the game, and I don’t really care who advances between the two of them.”

Spain will face Portugal in the Round of 16 on Monday, with a place in the quarter-finals up for grabs. Portugal secured their spot after edging Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 32.