Football: Cristiano Ronaldo’s son makes Portugal Under-17 debut
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Presse de Tunisie
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, 16, an Al Nassr forward, came on for the final 20 minutes of Portugal’s 4-0 win over Andorra on Thursday in the Euro U17 2027 qualifiers. Having already played for the Under-15 and Under-16 sides, he was called up by coach Filipe Ramos, according to La Presse de Tunisie.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, 16, eldest son of Cristiano Ronaldo, made his debut on Thursday with Portugal’s Under-17 side. Coming on for the final 20 minutes, the Al-Nassr forward, nicknamed "Cristianinho", took part in the 4-0 win over Andorra in the Euro U17 qualifiers, according to La Presse de Tunisie.
Several Portugal internationals, including Vitinha, Rúben Neves, Gonçalo Ramos and João Félix, watched his first steps at the Cidade do Futebol complex in Oeiras, near Lisbon. The Under-17 coach, Filipe Ramos, had called him up on 2 November in a squad of 23 players, three days before his father retired from international football.
His first call-up dates back to 2025, with the Under-15s, before he joined the Under-16s; he has made 13 appearances across the two age groups. Portugal will then host Bulgaria and Serbia in the first round of the Euro U17 2027 qualifiers, again at the Cidade do Futebol. His father had wished in 2016 to see him become a high-level footballer, and two years later he said on DAZN that his son would be just like him, "exactly like me".
This first appearance comes six weeks after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Portugal’s national team, confirmed on 1 October after he was dropped.
