Cristiano Ronaldo’s son, Ronaldo Jr, has received his first call-up to Portugal’s U-17 squad.
There is a part of this that will appeal to his father’s keen interest in creating lasting emotional memories and we’ll get to that in a bit, but first, what has happened:
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is already on an international career path. In case you didn’t know, he is also in the Al-Nassr academy, but he has already played for Portugal at U-15 and U-16 level. He made his international debut in May 2025 and has scored five goals in 13 appearances across the youth teams.
For Al-Nassr, he has also scored three times in seven appearances this season. Like his father, he is a forward.
The 16-year-old has been named in the Portugal U-17’s 23-man squad for three games in Lisbon against Andorra, Bulgaria and Serbia on 11, 14 and 17 November.
Ronaldo, in his enthusiasm for creating the best stories, would certainly appreciate the little subplot of introducing his son to the Portuguese team before he retires. While that is unlikely to happen, seeing as Ronaldo Jr is only 16 no and Ronaldo will most likely be hanging up his boots within a year, the Portuguese great would certainly also appreciate the next best thing: his son coming as close to the senior team as possible before he signs off.
🚨 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. has received his first call-up to Portugal’s Under-17 national team at just 16 years old!
The Al Nassr youngster has been included in the 23-man squad for this month’s European Championship qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
The call-up comes just weeks after Ronaldo Jr. was spotted training with a Spanish academy, sparking speculation about his international future.
He has already represented Portugal at Under-15 and Under-16 level and is also eligible to represent Spain, England, the USA and Cape Verde.
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) November 3, 2026
The interesting thing is that the teenager could meet his father at the Portugal training grounds if Ronaldo is included in the senior squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Wales. A passing of the baton, if you will, no matter how imperfect it is.
Ronaldo is the leading scorer for Portugal and all of international football, with 143 goals in 225 appearances, and he can claim to be Portugal’s greatest ever player. He was suspended for 30 days by the Portuguese Football Federation after walking out on the national team during last month’s Nations League campaign.
Portugal’s senior squad is due to be announced next Friday, and Ronaldo may be in it given his suspension concluded at the end of October.
