Cristiano Junior has previously represented Portugal at the U-15 and U-16 levels and now he is gearing up to take his game a notch above
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File photo of Cristiano Jr(Photo: X)
Five-time Ballon d’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son, Cristiano Jrhas been called up to the U-17 Portugal national team for their upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers later this monthThe 16-year-old has previously represented the youth U-15 and U-16 teams and bagged five goals from a total of 13 appearances.
Cristiano Jr is expected to feature in all three of Portugal U-17 team’s Euro qualifiers against Andorra, Bulgaria and Serbia on November 11, 14 and 17 respectively, with all the matches taking place Portuguese Football Federation’s training centre in Oeiras.
The European Selecao will have to finish within the top two places in order to advance to the next stage of qualifiersThe U-17 UEFA European Championships are slated to take place from May to June next yearThis will be Cristiano Jr’s, if Portugal qualifies, first attempt at a silverware in a Portuguese shirt.
10 years ago, his father Cristiano Ronaldo had won the 2016 UEFA Euros with Portugal, marking the nation’s first major silverware in an international tournamentJunior will be hoping to replicate the same thing with the U-17 team.
In the past, Cristiano Ronaldo has heaped praise on his son’s pace and ability to dribble past playersHowever, he was sceptic about Cristiano Jr drinking coke and eating fries, something the former Ballon d’or winner doesn’t approve of.
Ronaldo also said that if his son is to become a great footballer, then he will have to work extremely hard.
“We’ll see if he’ll be a great playerHe’s not yetSometimes he drinks coke, he eats fries and he knows I get madIt’s normal because he’s youngHe has potentialHe is fast, he dribbles well, but that’s not enoughIt takes a lot of hard work and dedicationI’m not going to pressure him to be a playerHowever, I especially want him to be the best, whether he’s a footballer or a doctor,” Ronaldo had said in an interview.
How Cristiano Jr got into football?
Born on June 17, 2010 at California, Cristiano Jr began his career at Real Madrid’s youth team before featuring for Juventus and Manchester United, two clubs that his father represented in the pastIt was natural for him to choose football as a career path but what’s more interesting is the fact that he plays as a centre-forward or a winger.
Currently, Cristiano Jr plays for Al-Nassr’s youth team.
