"Like father; like son" - Portugal national team's social media account makes post as Cristiano Ronaldo's son stars for U15 team
The Portugal national team have shared a social media post featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, who scored his first two goals for the U15 side on Sunday (May 18). They beat Croatia U15 with a 3-2 scoreline in the final of the Vlatko Markovic International Tournament. After his first goal, the 14-year-old hit his father’s iconic celebration, ‘Siu.’
Ronaldo Jr was called up to the Portugal U15 squad on May 6 and made his debut as a substitute during their 4-1 win against Japan on May 13. He got his first start in the 1-1 draw with Greece the following day. The youngster featured in their 2-1 win over England on May 16, and his most recent match for Seleção das Quinas was his fourth appearance.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s eldest son was once again in the starting XI against Croatia, and he registered his first goal for the national team in the 13th minute. Ronaldo Jr completed his brace two minutes before the break with a header into an unguarded net.
After the match, Portugal’s Football Federation shared a picture of the 14-year-old and his legendary father hitting the 'Siu' celebration in the national jersey, and wrote:
“𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻. ✨.”
Despite having donned the Portuguese U15 national colors, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is eligible to play for the USA, Spain, or England at the senior level apart from Portugal.
A look at Cristiano Ronaldo Jr’s career so far
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr has somewhat taken a similar footstep in his football journey to that of his father. The 40-year-old icon welcomed him while he was at Real Madrid. As such, the youngster has played in the academy of every team that Ronaldo has represented, including Los Blancos, Juventus, and Manchester United.
With his father currently playing for Al-Nassr, Ronaldo Jr is also expected to play for them in the future. He is already playing for the U15 side of the Saudi Pro League club.
He played with Wayne Rooney’s son Kai in the youth set-up at Manchester United when Ronaldo returned to the club for his second spell in 2021. Jr scored 58 goals in a season during his time with Italian giants Juventus. In March, a report by World Soccer Talk claimed that he single-handedly led the Al-Nassr U15 side to victory by scoring 10 goals in a 10-9 win against Al-Ittihad U15.