Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the eldest son of Cristiano Ronaldo, has received his first call-up to the Portugal Under-15 team.
After his father moved to Saudi Arabia in December 2022, the 14-year-old son of the football legend is now a member of the Al Nassr young team.
Ronaldo Jr. has been called up to play for Portugal at the Vlatko Markovic International Tournament in Croatia, despite the fact that he could have opted to represent Spain or the United States.
The youthful athlete was included in coach Joao Santos’ 22-man roster for the competition, which includes matches against Greece, England, and Japan for his national team.
Ronaldo Senior quickly celebrated the news on social media after receiving his first-ever international call-up.
The Portugal legend posted a screenshot of the squad roster for the national team on Instagram with the following caption: “Proud of you, son!”
Along with players from teams like Tottenham, Porto, Braga, and Vitoria Guimaraes, Ronaldo Jr. is the only player from a non-European club to represent the team.
According to reports, the Al Nassr superstar was training at the Mahd Academy in 2023, two years older than his age group, and was making an impression in the team’s junior system.
He led the club’s under-13 team to the Saudi U13 Premier League championship last year.
Ronaldo Jr., who previously played for Juventus, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, has already signed with a number of prestigious teams.
The future Portugal youth player was not even a teenager when he played for the aforementioned clubs, but he already displayed indications that he would carry on his father’s skills.
Ronaldo Jr. reportedly scored 58 goals in a single season while playing for Juventus.
Although he is obviously overjoyed with his most recent professional achievement, his father has previously said that he does not want to put undue pressure on his son as he aspires to be like him.
“This generation, it is hard to tell them something and let them do it,” Ronaldo Sr. stated in a September interview with the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
They will always look up to their father as an example, and they witness me every day in my activities, whether they are at home, in practice, or at a game. They frequently see me at work.
At the moment, Cristiano aspires to play football, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on him—just a little.
He is already under pressure to be Cristiano [senior]’s son at the age of 14. I’ll let him make his own errors, but I’m hoping he can play professionally someday.”
The legendary Real Madrid and Manchester United star went on: “I will always be there for him, even if he doesn’t end up playing.
“Being famous does not allow us to put pressure on our sons.”
Ronaldo Jr. will be hoping to draw inspiration from his father’s own achievements for Portugal as he gets ready to launch his nascent international career.
The now 40-year-old is the all-time best striker in international football history, having scored 136 goals in 219 games since making his debut in 2003 at the age of 18.
In addition to his outstanding career, he led Portugal to victory at Euro 2016 and their first-ever major prize.
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