Cristiano Ronaldo Jr made his Portugal Under-17 debut on Thursday, playing the final 20 minutes of a 4-0 European Championship qualifying win over Andorra, flashscore.com reported.
Senior internationals Vitinha, Ruben Neves, Goncalo Ramos and Joao Felix watched the 16-year-old forward from the stands. They attended the match at the Portuguese FA’s Cidade do Futebol complex in Oeiras before heading to their own training session.
Coach Filipe Ramos named the Al Nassr player in his 23-player squad on November 2. That squad selection came three days before his father retired from international football.
Known as Cristianinho, the teenager collected 13 appearances across the Under-15 and Under-16 levels after making his initial age-group debut in 2025. His team also won the Under-16 Vlatko Markovic tournament in Croatia that same year.
Ronaldo and Son Play Together at Al Nassr
Before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023, the young forward spent time in the youth academies of Juventus and Manchester United. Both father and son now play for Al Nassr in different age brackets, with Cristianinho scoring three goals in seven youth matches this season.
“He’s very competitive, he’s just like I was when I was little,” Ronaldo said, according to flashscore.com.
“He doesn’t like to lose. He’ll turn out just like me – I’m 100% sure of that,” Ronaldo said.
Upcoming Qualifiers in Lisbon
Portugal will next host Bulgaria and Serbia in the opening qualifying round for the 2027 Under-17 European Championship. The top two teams from this round will advance.
All of Portugal’s matches in this qualifying round take place at Cidade do Futebol.
Related reading