Cristiano’s Ronaldo’s eldest son has been called up to the Portugal Under-15s squad for the first time.
The 14-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia with his father, who signed for the Pro League club in December 2022.
Portugal great Ronaldo, 40, posted a picture on social media of his son’s name on the national team squad list along with the message, “Proud of you, son”.
Ronaldo Jr has been called up for a youth tournament, external in Croatia between 13-18 May, with Portugal scheduled to play Japan, Greece and England.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo Sr is still a Portugal international and has scored 136 goals for his country – a world record in men’s football.
The 40-year-old captained Portugal to their first major title at Euro 2016, although he had to agonisingly watch the majority of the final from the sidelines after suffering an injury in the 25th-minute.
Ronaldo also led his national side to the Nations League title in 2019.
In March, Ronaldo scored but missed a penalty as Portugal dramatically beat Denmark to reach the Nations League semi-finals.
The ex-Manchester United forward has four other children – twins Eva and Mateo, 7, Alana Martina, 7, and Bella, 3.
Ronaldo Jr’s career so far
Ronaldo Jr’s youth career has played out in tandem with his father’s journey around the world – featuring in the academies of Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and Al-Nassr.
Reports claim, external he scored 58 goals in a season during his time with Italian giants Juventus.
He played alongside Wayne Rooney’s son, Kai, in the youth set-up at Manchester United when Ronaldo Sr returned for a second stint at Old Trafford.
Videos of the teenager striking Ronaldo Sr’s iconic ‘Siu’ celebration have gone viral while playing for Al-Nassr.
Although he has been called-up by Portugal’s under-15 side for next month’s tournament, Ronaldo Jr is also eligible to play for his country of birth – the United States – or Spain due to residency when his father turned out for Real Madrid.
[BBC]