Cristiano Ronaldo's son Santos Aveiro will represent Portugal? What his youth debut tells us as top club scouts excited

"Congratulations on your @portugal, debut, son. Very proud of you!" read Cristiano Ronaldo's Instagram post after his son made his  Portugal Under-15s debut on Wednesday. Donning the number 7 shirt, immortalised by his old man, Angel dos Santos Aveiro, better known a.k.a. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr came on in the 54th minute of a 4-1 win against Japan in a tournament Croatia on Tuesday. The 14-year-old came off the bench yet again on Friday to help his team beat England 2-1 in the Vlatko Markovic Tournament. With two wins and a draw (against Greece), the Portugal Under-15s now stand top in Group B.

 

At 14, Ronaldo Jr is eligible to represent several nations including Spain and the USA. However, it seems like he wants to take the family legacy forward and play for the Os Navegadores. He often falls back to help out the wingback in defending and winning back the ball, news reports from Croatia said. In the process, he is not afraid to make blocks and rushes back to his position to execute his offensive duties. 

 

The youngster has had the privilege of training under some of the best academies around the world including that of Manchester United and Juventus. He is currently affiliated to the youth academy of his father's current employers -- Saudi Pro League's Al-Nassr. Ronaldo Jr, a winger like his father in his formative years, broke into the limelight when he managed over 40 goals a season for Juventus. He is decent with set pieces as well, videos on the internet show. There are clips of the teenager converting penalty kicks and free kicks with ease.

 

 

 

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr is accompanied by his grandmother Dolores Aveiro in Croatia where the tournament is going on. European media reports said that locals of all age groups are showing up in large numbers to watch the son of Cristiano play. Not just the boy but his grandmother too are thronged by hardcore CR7 fans for selfies, reports said. While the organisers were hoping no more than a handful including families of the players and scouts from various teams to attend the games, the presence of Ronaldo Jr had made it a high-profile affair. Stands are always almost full when Portugal is playing in the otherwise sleepy town not far from the Serbian border. 

 

Meanwhile, another report said that many European giants have send their nominees to Croatia particularly to scout Angel dos Santos Aveiro. Bundesliga teams Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim, along with Italy's  Inter Milan, Juventus and Atalanta have tasked their teams to monitor him in Croatia, a report said. Leipzig's sister club from Austria Red Bull Salzburg is also tracking him, the report added.

 

 

 

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