"I want the most for Cristianito" - When Cristiano Ronaldo commented on his son's football ambitions
Cristiano Ronaldo has previously stated the he only wants his son Cristiano Jr. to be happy. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner currently plies his trade with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
The Portuguese has enjoyed a glittering career in football and is still going strong. From the backyard of Sporting to announcing himself at the world stage with Manchester United, Ronaldo first captured the imagination of fans at the start of the 21st century.
He took his game to a whole new level with a move to Real Madrid, establishing himself as one of the modern era's sporting superstars. The Portguese went on to conquer Serie A with Juventus and enjoyed a second coming at Old Trafford before moving to the Middle East at the end of 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo has since taken Saudi football to the world, with a host of football stars following his footsteps to move to the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese was in the thick of things once again for Al-Nassr this week, scoring from the spot to help his team to a 3-0 win over Al-Ettifaq.
Following his goal, the 39-year-old spotted his son in the stands and held up three fingers, hinting that he would try to score a hattrick. Interestingly, Cristiano Jr. had had scored two goals in the Al-Nassr Under-15 team's 4-0 win over Al-Qadsiah earlier in the day.
It was a bit of family banter that spoke of a close father-son relationship. However, the young man would have the last laugh as Ronaldo couldn't add to his tally in the game.
Speaking in 2022, the Portuguese superstar had insisted that he would never pressure his son into playing football.
"I will never pressure him. He will do what he wants. Also what I want the most for Cristianito and everyone else is that they're happy and that they choose what they want. I will support in any way," said Cristiano Ronaldo (via talkSPORT).
However Cristiano Jr. has already shown that he has the qualities to add to his father's legacy. He displayed his stellar free-kick taking technique in a recent video which went viral.
Can Cristiano Jr. be Cristiano Ronaldo's heir in football?
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the final phase of their careers, the world is busy looking for their heirs. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are already churning up a potential rivalry, while Lamine Yamal also looks like a future superstar.
However, football fans will also be monitoring Cristiano Jr's development with interest. The 14-year-old spent time in the academies of Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United and is currently one of the stars of Al-Nassr's youth team.
Ronaldo has also previously revealed that his son wants to share the pitch with him in a competitive game.
"My son tells me: ‘dad, hold on a few more years, I want to play with you’,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.
With one of the best players in the world to guide him, Cristiano Jr. could become a hot commodity in world football soon.