Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the son of Cristiano Ronaldo, has joined Portugal’s youth national teams, making the under-16 squad for a tournament in Turkey announced this Monday. This news has excited many, as there are high hopes for him to emulate his father’s impressive career in soccer.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) confirmed that 15-year-old Cristiano Jr. is among 22 players selected for the Under-16 Federation Cup, scheduled from October 30 to November 4 in Antalya, Turkey.
Cristiano Jr. made his first appearance with Portugal’s U-15 team in May at the Vlatko Markovic Tournament in Croatia, scoring two goals in the final against the host team, leading to a 3-2 win. He played wearing the famous number 7 jersey, just like his father, and took on the role of left winger, a position Cristiano Ronaldo also held during his early career.
Already gaining experience at leading clubs, Cristiano Jr. is currently part of the Al Nassr youth academy in Saudi Arabia and has previously trained with the youth teams of Manchester United and Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr of Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo’s path through Portugal’s youth teams
Cristiano Ronaldo himself advanced through the ranks of Portugal’s youth teams, beginning with the U-15s and moving up to the U-17, U-20, and U-21 levels before debuting with the senior team in 2003. Throughout his youth career, Ronaldo played 34 matches and netted 18 goals:
- Portugal U-15: 9 matches, 7 goals
- Portugal U-17: 7 matches, 5 goals
- Portugal U-20: 5 matches, 1 goal
- Portugal U-21: 13 matches, 5 goals
The pressure on Cristiano Jr.
The attention on the son of one of soccer’s greatest players is immense. Cristiano Jr. faces high expectations and the challenge of developing his own career while following in the footsteps of a father who achieved great success at both club and national levels. With his father’s records as a standard, Jr. is under pressure to exceed those benchmarks to demonstrate his ability to succeed at a similar level.