Cristiano Ronaldo Jr gets first call-up to Portugal U15 team

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the eldest son of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, has been selected for the Portugal Under-15 national team.

The 14-year-old forward, who currently plays for Al Nassr’s youth team in Saudi Arabia, was included in the 22-player squad for an international tournament in Croatia, as reported by ESPN.

The Vlatko Markovic tournament will take place from May 13 to 18. Portugal will play against Japan on May 13, Greece on May 14, and England on May 16. The final match is scheduled for May 18.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored a record 934 goals in his career, celebrated his son’s achievement on Instagram, saying: “Proud of my son!”

Earlier this year, Ronaldo shared that he hopes to play alongside his son one day. Back in 2022, Cristiano Jr. told his father to keep playing for a few more years so they could be on the field together. However, Ronaldo has said he will never force his son to play football and will support him no matter what career he chooses.

Cristiano Jr. began playing football in Real Madrid’s youth academy while his father was at the Spanish club between 2009 and 2018. He won the 2017 Copa Junior there and was the top goal scorer in the tournament.

When Ronaldo moved to Juventus in 2018, his son joined the club’s youth team as well. He made an immediate impact, scoring 58 goals and giving 18 assists in just 28 games for the U9 side during the 2018–2019 season.

Later, in 2021, Cristiano Jr. followed his father to Manchester United and joined the club’s academy. At just 11 years old, he signed an official contract in early 2022 and kept scoring regularly.

Cristiano Jr. could have played for several countries, Portugal, England, Spain, the United States, or Cape Verde, but he chose to represent Portugal, just like his father.

Cristiano Ronaldo himself started his journey with the Portugal U15 team in 2001, scoring in a match against South Africa.