Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream of playing with his son: Is it possible?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s oldest son, Cristiano Jr, is settling in well in Manchester United’s academy. This week he scored his first goal for his U12 youth team against Spanish side Gironés Sabat, with the youngster continuing to dream of following his father’s footsteps by making it at the professional level.

Cristiano Ronaldo would like to see his son make it too and has spoken about how strict he is, treating the youngster like a professional already. As the Portugal captain once explained: “We will see if my son becomes a great player, but he isn’t yet. Sometimes he drinks fizzy juice and eats crisps when he knows I don't like it. I tell him that after working hard he must rest in cold water and he doesn't like it. That’s normal, he's 10 years old. But, he has potential, he is fast and dribbles well, but that is not enough It takes a lot of work and dedication, I always tell him that.”

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Could Cristiano Ronaldo and Cristiano Jr ever play together?

If Cristiano Jr keeps progressing and proves that he is good enough for the top level, there is a chance that his superstar father could play with him. This is something they have even openly discussed.

As Ronaldo revealed during an interview in 2019: “Sometimes my son will say to me, ‘Dad, keep going for a few more years, as I want to be able to play with you’. That would be very difficult, but I can do it. You never know.”

Cristiano Ronaldo just turned 37 in February, while his son will turn 12 in June of 2022. Assuming they could play together on the same team when Cristiano Jr reaches 18 years of age, that would be in the 2028/29 season. At that point, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be 43, but, having looked after himself so well physically over his career, it’s not impossible.

The idea of father and son linking up has been compared to the similar scenario where LeBron James and his son Bronny could one day play together in the NBA. But, in that case, Bronny is already 17, while James is the same age as Ronaldo. That father-and-son link-up is far more likely than that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Cristiano Jr, but you can never rule anything out when it comes to the Portuguese forward.