Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. makes international debut for Portugal U-17

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., the 16-year-old Al-Nassr forward, made his international debut for Portugal’s under-17 team on Thursday, coming on for the final 20 minutes in a 4-0 victory over Andorra in the UEFA European Championship qualifiers.

The match was attended by several senior international players, including Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Goncalo Ramos, and Joao Felix, who watched from the Portuguese Football Federation’s Cidade do Futebol complex in Oeiras, near Lisbon, before starting their own training session.

Ronaldo Jr.’s appearance followed his call-up by coach Filipe Ramos as part of a 23-man squad announced on November 2, just three days before his father Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from international football.

The eldest son of the former Portugal captain previously played for the national under-15 team in 2025, then moved up to the under-16s, making 13 appearances across both age groups.

Portugal is set to host Bulgaria and Serbia later in the first round of the 2027 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifiers, with all matches to be played at the Cidade do Futebol complex.

Speaking about his son’s ambitions, Cristiano Ronaldo said in 2016: “Of course I would like Cristiano Jr. to become a footballer and a top player like his father.” In a 2018 interview with DAZN, he added that his son is “very competitive, just like I was when I was young. He doesn’t like to lose. He’ll be just like me, I’m 100 percent sure… But he’ll become whatever he wants to be, and I’ll always support him.”

Ronaldo Jr. helped Portugal win the Vlatko Markovic Under-16 tournament in Croatia in 2025, celebrating with his father’s trademark goal celebration after scoring in the semifinal against Wales.

Ronaldo Jr. previously played in the youth ranks of Juventus and Manchester United before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023. He currently plays for Al-Nassr’s youth team, where he has scored three goals in seven matches this season.