“Cristiano Jr.” – the name expected to continue the legendary legacy of his father – will have his first time wearing the Portuguese U16 national team shirt at the Confederation Cup taking place in Türkiye at the end of October.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s son was called up to the Portugal U16 team for the first time
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has just announced the list of 22 players participating in the 2025 U16 Federation Cup – a tournament held in Antalya, Türkiye from October 30 to November 4. In this list, the most notable name is Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the eldest son of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 15-year-old, affectionately known as “Cristianinho” to his home fans, is currently playing for the Al Nassr football academy – the same club Ronaldo plays for in Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Jr. is one of only two players on Portugal’s U16 squad who play abroad, alongside Kauã Araújo of Santos (Brazil).
Cristiano Ronaldo’s son was called up to the Portugal U16 team for the first time.
Cristiano Jr. was born in 2010 and has spent time training at prestigious academies such as Juventus, Manchester United and now Al Nassr. At Al Nassr, Cristiano Jr. is playing in the U15 team. Here, he often plays as a left winger, similar to his father when he was young.
Last September, Cristiano Jr. caused a stir online when he scored a stunning free kick for the Al Nassr youth team – a strike that fans compared to CR7’s trademark free kicks.
Previously, in May, he was called up to the Portugal U15 team to participate in the Vlatko Markovic Tournament in Croatia. In this tournament, Cristiano Jr. scored two goals in the final match to help Portugal beat host Croatia 3-2 and win the championship.
This impressive performance helped Cristiano Jr. gain the trust of coach Filipe Ramos and be given the opportunity to move up to U16, where young players will compete with stronger, more mature opponents.
The 2025 Federations Cup brings together U16 teams from Europe, with Portugal in the same group as Türkiye, Wales and England. The matches will take place at the Emirhan Sports Center (Antalya). The Portuguese U16 team opens the tournament on October 30 against the host team Türkiye, then faces Wales (November 1) and England (November 4). This is an important playground for young players to hone their international skills and is a launching pad for many talents to advance to the European U17 and U19 levels.
Cristiano Ronaldo is always calm and avoids putting pressure on his son.
Despite the increasing expectations for his son, Cristiano Ronaldo has always remained calm and avoided pressure. In an interview, CR7 once shared: “We will see if he becomes a great player or not. He is young, sometimes he drinks Coke, eats chips and I get angry. I tell him to run and then soak in cold water, he says: ‘Dad, it’s cold!’ – that’s normal. He has potential, he is agile, he dribbles well, but that’s not enough. He needs a lot of effort and discipline. I don’t force him to be a player, but I want him to be the best in the field he chooses – whether it’s football or medicine.”
Cristiano Jr.’s appearance in the Portugal U16 team is seen as a symbolic transition, as his father – Cristiano Ronaldo – is in his 40s and entering the final stages of his illustrious career.Cristiano Ronaldo’s son was called up to the Portuguese youth team for the first time
Like his father, Cristiano Jr. also started his international journey at the U15 team. CR7 represented Portugal at youth levels from U15 to U21 before making his senior debut at the age of 18, and has so far scored 143 goals in 225 games.
Now, “Cristianinho” will have his first chance to prove himself in the youth team shirt, in an official international tournament. Although the road ahead is long, Portuguese fans cannot hide their excitement when seeing Ronaldo’s name appear on the Selecao’s playing list again – this time, in the next generation.
