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CRISTIANO RONALDO JR SURPASSES DAD’S TALLY – A NEW ERA BEGINS

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., 15, scores his first goal for Portugal's U16S, outpacing his father's youth timeline. The tall, powerful teenager is already making his mark as a winger, continuing the family's football legacy on the international stage.

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr surpasses dad’s tally – a new era begins
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr - COURTESY/PHOTO

Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., who is only 15 years old, scored his first goal for Portugal's U16 squad against Wales over the weekend, bringing his total number of international goals at the young team level to three.

By the age of 15, Ronaldo Sr. had yet to make his debut for any organised international team. The renowned attacker made his debut for Portugal's U15 team in February 2001, three weeks after turning sixteen, but he scored a goal against South Africa to honour the occasion.

It required the persistence of Ronaldo's Sporting CP coach, Aurélio Pereira, to persuade Carlos Dinis that the spindly winger was deserving of some playing time after a string of injuries had postponed his international call-up. Although his colleagues that day did not fare as well, he did not have a particularly awful day.

Ronaldo was the only player to receive a senior cap out of the starting lineup that faced South Africa in Torres Novas 24 years ago. Although he has made 225 appearances for Portugal so far and scored an incredible 143 goals, his son's aspirations should be cautioned by that record.

Already standing taller than his father, Ronaldo Jr. is a physically formidable teenager. "He was a little bit bigger and stronger when I was his age. I was smaller. During an appearance on Saudi Pro League: Kickoff last season, Ronaldo Sr. accurately prophesied, "I think he would be larger than me."

Ronaldo Jr. makes a notable appearance in the 2015 documentary on his father, telling him that he wants to be a goalie, much to the obvious dismay of Cristiano Sr. The teenager positioned himself on the left wing for his team against Wales on Saturday, sweeping a first-time right-footed finish into the bottom corner, but that dream was never realised.

On Tuesday, Portugal U16 and their well-known forward will return to action against England.

"Like father, like son" is the straightforward caption that Portugal's official X account used to describe the video of Ronaldo Jr.'s goal. When Ronaldo Sr. scored two goals for Al Nassr later that same day, it turned out to be especially prophetic.

The 40-year-old forward was edging closer to yet another dismal outcome on his first appearance since losing to Karim Benzema's Al Ittihad in the King's Cup, prolonging Ronaldo's hunt for a major prize in Saudi Arabia.

On Saturday, Al Nassr fell behind mid-table Al Fayha, and even after Ronaldo equalised in the 37th minute, they were still tied at 1-1 going into stoppage time in the second half. A relatively harmless aerial challenge between Mikel Villanueva and Abdulelah Al Amri led to an unannounced VAR review, which continued until the referee finally gave Al Nassr a questionable penalty kick. Ronaldo stepped up to secure three points with 104 minutes remaining, keeping his team atop the Pro League.

Regarding his spectacular penalty, Ronaldo Sr. remarked, "Today my heart beat a little faster." The same could undoubtedly be said about seeing his son advance in his own developing profession.

WHY MARCELO PREFERS PEDRI OVER LAMINE YAMAL FOR THE CURRENT REAL MADRID SQUAD

Real Madrid legend Marcelo shocks fans by picking Pedri over Lamine Yamal as the one Barça player he’d bring to the Bernabéu.

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Marcelo Urges Real Madrid To Sign Pedri

Even though Marcelo Vieira isn't playing pro ball anymore, he's still all about football. He's making content and helping out with Gerard Piqué’s Kings League. The guy's opinions still get attention, mainly when he talks about Barça and Real Madrid.

DjMaRiiO asked Marcelo on his YouTube channel a question you hear all the time: if you could pick one Barcelona player for Real Madrid, who would it be?

Marcelo said, I'd go with Pedri for Madrid now. He has qualities that would fit Real Madrid well. He knows everyone would say Lamine, but he thinks Pedri would be a better choice.

This happened as Pedri gets ready to get back in shape after being hurt again. Even with the injuries, the guy from the Canary Islands is still a top player for Barcelona. People all over Spain respect him for how well he controls the game, how smart he is in tight spots, and how he can change a game without being the centre of attention.

Marcelo's comments got fans talking, especially since a lot of people see Lamine Yamal as Barcelona’s rising star and one of the most exciting young attackers in Europe. But Marcelo said he picked Pedri because of his balance and how well he controls the midfield, which a lot of people think would be a good fit for Real Madrid.

Besides the whole Barça-Madrid thing, the interview also showed what Marcelo's been up to since he stopped playing. Lately, he’s been around the Kings League as the president of Skull FC with Plex. Unlike some of the other big-name presidents, Marcelo actually went back to playing.

The league said that Marcelo played his first Kings League game in late October for Skull FC against Rayo de Barcelona. Apparently, the team was having a hard time with the league's format, so Marcelo decided to step in to lead and play well.

WHY IS MAX VERSTAPPEN SWITCHING TO NUMBER 3 FOR THE 2026 F1 SEASON

Why did Verstappen choose number 3 over 33? We break down the F1 rule change and the emotional nod to Daniel Ricciardo.

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Is Max Verstappen Taking Daniel Ricciardo’s Number

Max Verstappen will use the number 3 on his car next season, switching from 33, which he's used for his whole Formula 1 career so far.

After winning four titles, Verstappen spent the last four seasons with the number 1, as is proper for the champion. But Lando Norris's win in Abu Dhabi changes things, and Verstappen is moving to a different number.

Verstappen said his favourite number has always been 3.

Norris said he would use the champion’s number on his McLaren next season. The rules about permanent driver numbers didn't allow drivers to switch numbers during their careers, except for the world champion.

Now, there's a new rule that lets drivers take available numbers. With Daniel Ricciardo gone and not planning to return to Formula 1, his old number, 3, will go to Verstappen, his former Red Bull teammate.

Verstappen wanted number 3 when he first came to Formula 1, but Ricciardo had it. Verstappen's website says Ricciardo helped with the number change, which suggests that Ricciardo is not planning on returning to the grid.

Talking to Dutch broadcaster Viaplay about his number in 2026, Verstappen said it won’t be 33. His favourite number has always been 3, besides number 1. Now that he can switch, he will.

He added that 33 was fine, but he likes one 3 better than two. He used to say it meant double luck, but he feels he's already had his share of luck in Formula 1.

The permanent driver number rules started in 2014. Drivers can pick any number between 2 and 99 to use during their Formula 1 career, but 1 is only for the reigning World Champion.

If a driver's first choice isn't free when they join the grid, like it was for Charles Leclerc [16], Yuki Tsunoda [11], and Carlos Sainz [5] before, they pick their second choice, and so on.

The only number no one can use is 17, which was retired to honour Jules Bianchi.

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