Cristiano Ronaldo’s oldest son, Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, played his first match for Portugal’s Under-15 team on Tuesday. The team won 4-1 against Japan at the Vlatko Markovic international tournament held in Croatia.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., a 14-year-old forward from Al Nassr’s academy, joined the game in the 54th minute as a substitute. At that time, Portugal was already winning 3-0, with all three goals scored by Braga’s Rafael Cabral. Ronaldo Jr. wore the famous No. 7 jersey — the same number his father wore throughout his legendary career.
This time, the young forward didn’t score any goals, but the moment was still special — a son stepping into the path of a father who has made football history.
“Congratulations on your Portugal debut, son. Very proud of you,” wrote Ronaldo Sr., now 40, on social media, along with pictures of his son playing. The simple but emotional message touched millions of fans around the world who have followed Ronaldo’s incredible journey over the last 20 years.
Ronaldo Jr., who plays for the Al Nassr academy in Saudi Arabia, was called up to the Portugal U15 team for the first time just last week. On Tuesday, he played his debut match against Japan — the first of four games Portugal will play in the tournament. Their next matches are against Greece, then England on Friday, and the final one on Sunday against a team yet to be decided.
Even though he is still very young, Ronaldo Jr. carries a famous name and big expectations. But in his first game, wearing jersey number 7, he showed that he’s starting to make his own name — with his proud father watching from the sidelines.