Cristiano Ronaldo’s son eyes return to Europe, putting dream of playing alongside father on hold

Instead of waiting to be promoted to the Al Nassr first team next season, Ronaldo’s eldest son Cristiano Jr. believes that joining a top-tier football academy is a critical step in his development as a professional player, instead of staying in Saudi Arabia and waiting for the day to play alongside his father, The Sun reported.

Currently playing for the Al Nassr youth team, Cristiano Jr. wants to test his skills on Europe’s biggest stages. According to Saudi Arabian media, European giants such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring the young prospect.

Other potential destinations in Europe include Borussia Dortmund and his father’s former club Sporting CP.

His ultimate desire is to train in an elite environment, similar to his previous experiences at the Juventus and Manchester United academies.

In March, Cristiano Jr. spent a brief period training with the Real Madrid U16 squad while his father returned to Spain to recover from an injury.

Despite his family’s concerns regarding immense media pressure and inevitable comparisons to his father, his potential remains undeniable, as his stats in youth football were impressive.

He previously scored 58 goals in 23 matches for Juventus U9 and recently scored 56 goals in 27 matches for Al Nassr U15. This goal-scoring ability has also helped him shine within the Portugal national youth teams, playing for the U15 and U17 teams, winning the World Cup with the latter last year.

Meanwhile, 41-year-old Ronaldo continues his own historic pursuit, striving to reach the milestone of 1,000 career goals while preparing for the 2026 World Cup.

Ronaldo has previously expressed his dream of playing football with his son before retirement. This will only be possible if Cristiano Jr. stays at Al Nassr. Ronaldo signed a contract extension with Al Nassr last year, which will keep him at the club until 2027.