Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. has taken a new step in his soccer journey by following the footsteps of his father. The eldest son of Cristiano Ronaldo has also joined Al-Nassr FC.
The 13-year-old has agreed to sign a contract with Al-Nassr’s U13 team. Fabrizio Romano reported that junior Ronaldo will sign the contract in the coming days and just like father will wear the number 7 jersey for the youth side.
🚨🟡🔵 Cristiano Ronaldo Jr signs with Al-Nassr U13 team — here we go!
The agreement has been signed as Cristiano’s son will start training in the next days.
He will wear number 7.
Cristiano once said: “My son tells me: dad, hold on a few more years, I want to play with you!”. pic.twitter.com/uUp25lelRJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 19, 2023
Previously, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. represented the youth academy of Juventus, when his dad played for the Italian club. He followed his dad to Manchester United in 2021 and joined the academy of Manchester United along with the sons of former players, Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Matic. He then joined the Real Madrid youth system for a brief spell before moving to Saudi Arabia with his father.
Meanwhile, the online reception of the news was against Ronaldo Jr. Fans believed that he could aim for higher than the Al-Nassr youth side. They argue that joining a European academy would provide a better learning curve for the promising athlete.
Meanwhile, senior Ronaldo is off to a flyer start in his second season with the Riyadh-based club. In the new season, Ronaldo has made 11 appearances in all competitions, in which he has scored 11 goals and provided six assists. Ronaldo’s form has helped him leapfrog Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to become the leading goalscorer in 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. hit the SIU after scoring for Manchester United 🤩
(via @albert_roge)pic.twitter.com/xzydRtYuje
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 14, 2022
The board of Al-Nassr is happy with the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo. In response, they are working to offer him a new contract extension. It would be interesting to see if, like his father, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. extends his stay in Saudi Arabia or move to a more established youth system in European clubs like Real Madrid.
Real Madrid’s youth system is known to offer contract and playing opportunities to children of former players. At present, Marcelo’s son, Enzo Alves represents Real Madrid youth teams, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. follows the same path.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. wants to play with his father
As per the current trajectory, Ronaldo Jr. is right on track to fulfill his biggest dream. Back in 2022, Ronaldo revealed that his son desired to play with him in the future.
Ronaldo was quoted saying: “My son tells me, ‘Dad hold on a few more years – I want to play with you.’” The Portuguese superstar will turn 39 in four months but needs to maintain his fitness in order to fulfill the dream of his son.
🚨 BREAKING: Cristiano Jr signs with Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo said this previously:
“My son tells me, ‘dad, hold on a few more years, I want to play with you.’ pic.twitter.com/dVviNKxTZ2— TC (@totalcristiano) October 19, 2023
It’s safe to assume that Ronaldo Jr. will need another five to six years to break into any team. By that time, Ronaldo will be in his mid-40s. However, if anyone can maintain his fitness for that long, it is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has previously commented about his desire to play in his mid-40s, but the increasing demand for the sport makes it difficult for athletes.
The die-hard fan base recently revealed their desire to see Ronaldo Jr. play for the national team in the 2030 World Cup while his father managing the team. The 2030 World Cup was announced to take place in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. The global event provides a nice target for the father-son duo to aim for the future.
