Who does Cristiano Jr play for? How Juventus & Italy youth systems work
joynguyen97
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Ronaldo senior may not have yet opened his account for the Bianconeri but his son netted four times on his debut for the club's Under-9s
Cristiano Ronaldo recently admitted that he would dearly love to see his son, Cristiano Jr., follow in his footsteps.
"He’s very competitive, like me when I was young, and he doesn't like to lose," the Portuguese superstar revealed after being unveiled as DAZN's Global Ambassador. >> m88 login
"He will be like me I am sure, 100 per cent. I hope that with my experience, with my motivation, my goals, I can teach him some stuff, but you know he is going to be whatever he wants.
"I’m always going to support him, but of course I want Cristiano to be a football player because I think he has that drive.
"He has a good body, he’s fast, he has skills, he can shoot, but as you know he’s going to make his decision and he’s so young, I’m not going to pressure him.
"But that is of course a dream, to see my boy become a football player."
That dream could well become a reality, with Cristiano Jr. having adapted to Italian football even quicker than his old man.
Indeed, whereas the senior Ronaldo has yet to get off the mark for new club Juventus - despite already having had 23 shots in his first three Serie A games - the eight-year-old Cristiano Jr. racked up a remarkable four goals on his debut for the Bianconeri's Under-9 team last week against Lucento
Young Cristiano's skills have been showcased in numerous social media videos over the past year and he certainly seems to have inherited his father's fancy footwork and dead-ball accuracy.
The sensational start to his fledgling football career will also generate huge publicity but, as his father knows only too well, progressing through the youth team ranks is no easy task.
Indeed, the path to the first team at a club like Juventus, in a country like Italy, is longer and more arduous than most...
Piccoli amici: This phrase is used to refer to the youngest (at least 5-year-old) among 17 members of Juventus Youth team
Primi calci: The player are aged between six and eight. They play four- or five-a-side games, again for half an hour, but on a slightly larger pitch.
Pulcini: which literally means 'chicks', are aged between eight and 10 years of age when the season starts and line out for three separate teams.
Cristiano Jr., though, has joined the Under-9s, meaning he is managed by David Perri and Fabio Cuccinello.
The Esordienti ('beginners' or 'novices') are all aged between 10 and 12 when the season kicks off.
The Giovanissimi ('youngsters') range from 13 to 15 years of age and are divided into two groups. There are 11 players on each team and the games are 70 minutes long (two halves of 35 minutes).
The Allievi ('rookies') are aged between 15 and 17 years old and are divided into two groups, who play 11-a-side games featuring two halves of 40 minutes.
The Primavera (which literally translates as 'spring') remains the pinnacle of youth-team football in Italy, the last rung on the professional football ladder for players ranging from anywhere between 15 and 19 years of age.\
Under 23: Always looking for ways to stay ahead of their rivals, Juventus became the first club in Italy to set up an Under-23 team this summer.
In a bid to provide young players more opportunities to play senior football, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) decided to reintroduce reserve sides into calcio for the 2018-19 campaign but on the proviso that the second-string would not be allowed to play in the same division as the first team.
Juve were the only club to take up this offer and this season their Under-23s will compete in Serie C, the third tier of the Italian game.
The team is coached by Mauro Zironelli and features players such as Leandro Fernandes, who featured for Massimiliano Allegri's first team during pre-season
Comments
Huh?
Thanks for the info. Always nice to meet another football fan around here.
Messi's stats give him a slight edge, but Ronaldo was / is the most exciting player. He still looks like a superstar athlete should look. Watched him play many times at Man U. Too bad he left. It will be interesting to see how Juventus does this year in Champions league.
Cristiano Ronaldo, easily one of the half dozen most famous athletes in the world. Massive worldwide recognition. Rodgers, Brady - essentially unknown outside US.
Never heard of him.