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Cristiano Ronaldo's oldest son, Cristiano Jr, has earned a maiden invitation to the Portuguese national team after he was included in the U-15 squad this month. The 14-year-old will participate in a youth tournament set to be held in Croatia between 13-18 May.
Cristiano Jr is on the books of Saudi giants Al-Nassr, having joined their academy after his father signed for the club in 2023. The teenager is a forward like his father, and is set to follow in his illustrious footsteps by playing for his country at age-grade level.
Cristiano Ronaldo excitedly posted the squad list for the tournament on his Instagram page, congratulating his son for making the list. The teenager is the only one on the 22-man list to be plying his trade outside Europe, with the bulk of the players coming from Portugal's top academies.
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The inclusion of the younger Cristiano in the national team has been met with mixed reactions by fans, and some of them took to X to share their reactions. A fan called out the Portuguese FA for nepotism, pointing out that the youngster did not deserve the invitation.
"Nepotism at his best. Not even played in Portugal youth system and now called up by playing with sheikhs. Hilarious", they wrote.
Another fan praised the youngster for following in his father's footsteps.
"Following his dad’s steps 👏", they posted.
Another fan called out the nepotism, insinuating that the 14-year-old is not good enough.
"He’s not even good, literal nepotism", they wrote.
A fan sarcastically lauded Portugal for discovering the youngster in Saudi Arabia.
"So nice of Portugal to randomly send scouts to Saudi and find this hidden talent", they posted.
Another fan insinuated that he got his invitation thanks to his father's influence.
"Daddy influence he not even good enough", they wrote.
A fan shared their optimism at the emergence of the youngster.
"History bout to be made 🇵🇹", they wrote.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, who has been on the books of Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United, will likely debut against Japan on May 13th. He will also look to feature in games against Greece and England's U-15 sides in the tournament in Croatia.
Kylian Mbappe surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo, eyes up Real Madrid record
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has surpassed idol Cristiano Ronaldo's record for goals scored in a debut season for the club. The Frenchman scored twice against Celta Vigo on Saturday to take his tally to 36 goals this season, two more than Ronaldo managed in his debut campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo managed his tally of 33 goals in only 35 games in the 2009-10 season, also providing ten assists. Mbappe has played 52 times this season and has just four assists to his name for the club.
Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid have four games left in LaLiga, and the 26-year-old will be looking to set a new club record. The record for the most goals ever scored by a player in their debut season belongs to Ivan Zamorano, who scored 37 times in the 1992-93 season.
