Cristiano Ronaldo put Tottenham transfer target above Lamine Yamal in shock vote

As Manchester City ponder the future of one of their young stars who has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, Cristiano Ronaldo's view on the matter has already been made clear

Cristiano Ronaldo has given one Manchester City star his show of support(Image: YouTube/Globe Soccer Awards)

Cristiano Ronaldo previously hailed Manchester City winger Savinho as the best young player in world football ahead of Lamine Yamal.

The City forward has unexpectedly emerged as a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur. Despite their disappointing campaign, Savinho, 21, has showed plenty of promise on both flanks since his move from Troyes in the summer of 2024.

Pep Guardiola entrusted the Brazilian with 21 Premier League starts in his debut season and while his output has often left room for improvement, he posed a threat for the former Barcelona boss. In 48 appearances across all competitions, Savinho chipped in with three goals and 13 assists for City. However, Tottenham have initiated discussions over a potential deal.

This news might also come as a shock to Ronaldo, as the Manchester United icon overlooked Yamal and voted for Savinho for the 2024 Kopa Award, which recognises the best young talent, at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. The football legend's choice differed from fellow former Ballon d'Or winners Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Lionel Messi.

The latter cast his votes for Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Garnacho. Modric also placed Yamal as his top pick, but opted for Arda Guler and Joao Neves in second and third, while Benzema's order was Yamal, Guler and Garnacho.

In the end, Yamal, predictably, claimed the accolade after exploding onto the stage in remarkable style during Spain's victorious Euro 2024 journey. However, one of the key discussion points from the ceremony was former Real Madrid star Ronaldo positioning Savinho ahead of Yamal, naming the Barcelona talent as his runner-up choice, whilst Guler occupied third place.

His selection demonstrates just how much Ronaldo values Savinho, whilst also hinting City may be making a mistake if they sell him to the north Londoners. This summer City have signed Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Sverre Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli.

Savinho has been linked with a move to Tottenham(Image: Getty)

But an exit for Savinho hasn't been on the card, with Guardiola backing him for stardom at the Club World Cup. Nevertheless, their time working together could soon conclude.

Given Guardiola's latest remarks regarding Savinho's capabilities, it's conceivable they might come to rue allowing him to depart, should he indeed exit the club. Following the forward's strike in City's 5-2 triumph over Juventus, Guardiola said: "He is a player with incredible potential.

"We cannot forget he's so young. He needs to make the final third more decisive in aspects like the goal he has done in the last game.

Guardiola gave Savinho a lot of praise during the Club World Cup(Image: Marc Atkins, Getty Images)

"He has to do it more. The last goal is more and more complicated and difficult to score than the previous ones - one against ones, the 'keeper, that maybe last season he missed.

"The moment he will make this step, which will come in a natural way because he has incredible individual quality, when it arrives for his commitment to say I want to do it, I want to be decisive, I want to score goals and make more assists, he will become an extraordinary player.

"He can play on both sides, right and left, he's so fast, he understands tactically the movements he has, so that's why he can play with us."