Cristiano Ronaldo Jr's refusal to talk to dad and brutal punishment before Portugal call-up
Cristiano Ronaldo is no doubt a proud father after Cristiano Ronaldo Jr got called up to the Portugal U16 squad while playing for Al-Nassr's academy in Saudi Arabia
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is certainly on course to follow in his father's footsteps. The 15-year-old has been called up to the Portugal U16 squad as he continues his rise through the international youth ranks, much like his father did.
Despite representing several of Portugal's youth ranks before making his senior debut in 2003, Ronaldo never played for the U16 side. His son now has the honour of doing so in the upcoming Football Federations Cup.
The teenager, who plays in the academy of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, was one of 22 players called up for the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey, between October 30 and November 4.
Cristiano Jr is still very much in the infancy of what could be a blossoming football career, but he can count on his father not putting undue pressure on him. The 40-year-old previously told former Manchester United colleague Rio Ferdinand: "Right in this moment, Cristiano wants to be a football player but I don't make big pressure, I make a little. He has pressure already to be the son of Cristiano [senior]."
Aspects of the relationship between the father and son have been played out in front of the world, including sporting punishments the young Ronaldo has had to endure and the occasion when the silent treatment existed between the pair.
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Ronaldo has long showcased the gym workouts and football practice he'd do with his eldest son, and the Al-Nassr superstar does not let up, even when it comes to his own offspring.
A master from the penalty spot, Ronaldo has looked to improve his son's skills from 12 yards and in a social media post from nine years ago, he told a then 5-year-old Ronaldo Jr: "If you don't score, you have to do 10 push-ups," before giving his son three tries to score a penalty.
After missing on his first attempt, he got closer when hitting the post on his second try and succeeded with his last spot-kick, which he buried. Despite scoring, Ronaldo still instructed his son to carry out the push-up punishment with Ronaldo Jr saying: "But I scored," before being told: "Do them [the push-ups] anyway. Come on, only 10."
Refusal to talk
Among his many remarkable attributes that has seen Ronaldo enter the club of a select few players regarded among the greatest players in football history, his competitiveness is certainly up there.
It was during a conversation with former team-mate and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand on his UR Cristiano YouTube channel, that he revealed it's a characteristic that has been passed down to Cristiano Jr.
Ronaldo admitted that his son shares his disdain of losing, as he detailed: "I was in the Red Sea a couple of days ago, and I played paddle every day, me and Cristiano Jr., and we got mad," the 40-year-old said.
He added: "He won't speak with me for like, two days. This is why I'm happy. Even the small one, Mateo, they are at peace (when they are angry), but I like this, it shows they have personality."
Manchester United verdict
Cristiano Jr was born a year after his father left Manchester United for Real Madrid, but was able to witness the love the Red Devils fanbase retained for the Portuguese icon upon his return to Old Trafford in 2021.
In what was a fairytale second debut season for Ronaldo, who scored 24 goals in 38 games, his second and final campaign was a disastrous one amid his breakdown in a relationship with then-manager Erik Ten Hag.
Before his contract was terminated in November 2022, Ronaldo was banned from taking part in a match against Chelsea after his tantrum against Tottenham Hotspur. The striker refused to come on as a substitute in the final minutes against Spurs, before storming down the tunnel and out of the stadium before the full-time whistle.
It was during his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV that Ronaldo opened up about how Cristiano Jr reacted upon learning the situation to suspend his father, admitting it left him feeling "humiliated".
He told Morgan: "I remember arriving home and Cristiano see me and say, ‘Daddy do you not go to the game?’ I say, ‘No, because the club punish me with three days’. And then he said, ‘How are they going to punish you if you are the best player in the world and you're not gonna play?’ I said, ‘No I'm not gonna play because I have not been behave’. And he look at me like, ‘My Daddy not behave, what?"
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