At just 14 years old, Cristiano Junior, Cristiano Ronaldo’s eldest son, has already played for his father’s clubs: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al-Nassr. While Portugal seems like a natural fit for his future national team, four other countries could hope to call him up.
In the youth teams, he wore the Manchester United jersey alongside Wayne Rooney’s son. Cristiano Junior, who also wears the number 7, has also played for Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr, a club he joined in 2023, like his father, in the U13 team.
While 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo dreams of one day playing with his son (“It’s not something that keeps me up at night, but I really want to”), Cristiano Junior is attracting interest from five different federations.
Portugal, the clear favorite
The obvious choice is Portugal. Cristiano Junior is a Portuguese national, even though he has never lived in his country and was not born on Portuguese soil.
His father has broken all national team records. With 219 caps and 136 goals, he brought Portugal its only two major titles, the Euro 2016 and the Nations League in 2019.
It therefore seems difficult to imagine Cristiano Junior choosing a country other than that of his idol Madeira. But four other choices are open to him.
The Three Lions and La Roja are on the lookout for Cristiano Junior
The first, and also one of the least likely, is the United States. When CR7 played for Real Madrid, he wanted his son to be born in the USA.
Cristiano Junior was born on June 17, 2010, in San Diego, California. He could therefore play for Team USA and perhaps one day play alongside Timothy Weah, the son of another famous Ballon d’Or winner, Liberian George Weah.
According to Marca, since Cristiano Ronaldo spent 12 years in England, notably during his father’s heyday with the Red Devils (2003-2009 and 2021-2022), he could, with a few administrative formalities, apply for the Three Lions.
Another prestigious national team on the lookout is La Roja. Cristiano Junior, although born in the USA, spent the first eight years of his life in Spain. Legally, having lived on Spanish soil for at least three years before the age of 10 is enough to become a Spanish citizen and therefore qualify for the team that won the European Championship last year.
Then there’s the very big odds: Cape Verde. According to Marca, the team ranked 72nd in the FIFA rankings has the right to dream of Cristiano Junior. It’s a family affair. Isabel da Piedade, CR7’s great-great-grandmother on his mother’s side, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, is of Cape Verdean descent. Enough to convince Cristiano Junior?
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