Cristiano Ronaldo’s oldest son is beginning to follow in his father’s footsteps after receiving an international call-up in Portugal’s youth setup to compete in a tournament later this month.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s son has taken another step towards following in his father’s footsteps after being handed a call-up to Portugal’s Under-16 squad for the first time. The 15-year-old, who plays in Al-Nassr‘s academy, has been included in a 22-player squad.
Portugal’s team are set to play against sides from Turkey, Wales and England in the Federations Cup Tournament, between October 30 and November 4. The call-up sees Ronaldo Jr step up an age group after making his U15s debut in May.
He made his first outing in a 4-1 win against Japan and found congratulations from his father as he made his international bow. The winger, known as Cristianinho in Portugal, came from the bench for the nation’s under-15 side in the Vlatko Markovic international tournament in Croatia.
Ronaldo Sr said on Instagram at the time: “Congratulations on your debut for Portugal, son. Very proud of you.”
The youngster has even donned his dad’s famous No.7 shirt already in his international career and took to the pitch in front of Manchester United scouts in Croatia. Tottenham were also said to be in attendance at the youth tournament in addition to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Red Bull Salzburg, Inter Milan, Juventus and Atalanta.
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Cristianinho is progressing well and, should his abilities allow, he would have the opportunity to represent more than Portugal at the senior level. The teenager is eligible to play for two other teams.
His father’s travels around the globe leave the youngster with a number of potential avenues. An international career with Portugal, Spain or the United States could lie in wait.
Cristianinho was involved in youth teams at Juventus and Manchester United before moving to the Middle East, following his dad as he completed transfers around the world. Ronaldo’s eldest son is claimed to have trained two years above his age group at the Mahd Academy in 2023 and reportedly could have returned to Real Madrid.
The youth international is one of five children with Ronaldo being dad to twins Eva and Mateo, seven, Alana Martina, seven, and Bella, three.
While Cristianinho is still just beginning his exploits, Ronaldo started his more than two decades ago. At 18, the football icon made his debut as a substitute against Kazakhstan in August 2003, two years on from his debut for the Selecao’s Under-15s in 2001.
A sixth World Cup appearance awaits next summer when Portugal compete in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In that time Ronaldo has racked up 225 appearances and 143 goals.
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