Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is being monitored by nine top European clubs, and Premier League giants Manchester United are one of them. According to reports by Sun Sport and Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia), the scouts of these clubs were present in the stadium to keep an eye on the 14-year-old during his debut for the national team.
Apart from Manchester United, fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur’s representatives were also present. Italian clubs Juventus, Atalanta, and Inter, and German clubs Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and Hoffenheim were among those tracking his performance.
Ronaldo’s son received his maiden call-up to the Portugal U-15 national team for the Vlatko Markovic tournament, which is being held from May 13-18 in Croatia. The teenager made his debut in the 53rd minute of the first game, against Japan. Portugal won the fixture 4-1. The Portuguese is expected to feature in the upcoming games against Greece and England as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo was present in the stands to witness his son represent his country. He expressed his delight on Instagram, writing:
The 14-year-old has been a part of Al Nassr’s youth team ever since his father’s move to the club in 2023. He has trained in academies of Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United too. While playing at Juventus, he even scored 58 goals in a single season.
According to Mirror, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is eligible to play for three different nations.
Since he was born in California, he can represent the United States. Spain can also be an option. He had spent his life’s budding stages in Madrid. As per FIFA, a player can play for a country if he has lived there for three years or more before turning 10. Due to his father’s nationality, Portugal emerges as an automatic choice.
England could have also been an option if he had spent five years in the country. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr was a part of Manchester United’s academy when his father represented the club in his second tenure in 2021-22. However, Ronaldo’s early exit from Manchester United in 2022 countermands that.
Ronaldo’s son has been handed the famous No.7 shirt, which is worn by his father for the senior team. While Jr played his first game against Japan, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the senior team skipper, has featured 219 times for the country, scoring 136 goals.
Sattyik has been following the sport since his childhood as his parents are ardent Mohun Bagan supporters and also members of the club. He has, however, been supporting their rivals East Bengal since 2008. He was also part of a local football academy, specializing in central defense, but had to switch focus to studies. Among European teams, he follows Manchester United and their stalwart captain Nemanja Vidic.
Sattyik has interviewed multiple footballers like Alberto Noguera, Javier Siverio, Edu Bedia among others. He is always on the lookout for new stories and strives to share them within appropriate timelines.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are Sattyik’s other favorite footballers. Among managers, he admires Sir Alex Ferguson, Xabi Alonso, Carlo Ancelotti, Johan Cruyff and Jose Mourinho because of their achievements and how they revolutionized the sport.
Sattyik was inspired by the grit and determination shown by Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final as they came back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win the trophy. When not working, he enjoys his time with books and music.
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