Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. debut for Portugal U16s
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the 15-year-old son of Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, made his debut for Portugal’s under-16 national team on Thursday in a 2-0 victory over hosts Turkey at the Federations Cup Tournament.
The young forward, who plays for the Al Nassr youth academy in Saudi Arabia, entered the match in stoppage time with Portugal already leading through goals from Sporting CP’s Samuel Tavares and SC Braga’s Rafael Cabral. The match marked the first of three fixtures for Portugal U16s in the tournament, with upcoming games against Wales on Saturday and England on Monday.
Ronaldo Jr. has previously represented Portugal at under-15 level, where he scored during his appearances earlier this year. His progression through the youth ranks has drawn attention due to both his family lineage and developing technical ability as a forward.
His father, Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, continues to play for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League and remains Portugal’s all-time leading scorer with 143 goals in 225 senior international appearances. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner recently reached 950 career goals across club and country.
The younger Ronaldo’s debut represents another step in his early development and extends the family’s international football legacy, as he begins to follow in the footsteps of one of the game’s most prolific figures.