In a recent interview, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo expressed several times his desire to play alongside his eldest son, Cristiano Ronaldo Junior. Following that wish, 15-year-old Cristiano dos Santos is on the path to making it happen. He has already made his debut for Portugal’s under-16 team, although he was substituted in at the 90th minute of the match.
Ronaldo Junior’s football journey began following his father’s footsteps. He has shown his talent since a young age. Earlier, Ronaldo had said, “I would love to play with him, but it’s not something I would stay awake at night dreaming to fulfill. Achieving that dream depends more on him than me. Time moves on, and one day I will have to stop.”
Yesterday (Thursday), Ronaldo Junior made his debut for the under-16 team against Turkey in Antalya. Portugal had already secured a 2-0 victory before he stepped onto the field. The two goals were scored by Samuel Tavares and Rafael Cabral. Cristiano Junior played as a forward for Al-Nassr’s youth academy, the same club as his father.
This was Portugal’s first match in the Under-16 Federation Cup tournament. Next, they will play against Wales on Saturday and England in their final match. Earlier this year, Ronaldo Junior also scored for Portugal’s under-15 team. Meanwhile, his father recently scored his 950th goal for Al-Nassr and is still chasing the milestone of 1,000 goals.
Once a star who dominated European football, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, the second-highest in history. After leaving Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United, he joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr at the start of 2023. When he didn’t get enough playing time with the national team, he regained opportunities under new coach Roberto Martinez. Internationally, he has scored 143 goals in 225 matches, the highest in his national team’s history.