Star II under the microscope: Can Mini Luo go out of his own path with his debut in the international arena?

A group of local children stretched their necks excitedly, hoping to take a glimpse of Portugal No. 7, a name that is highly recognizable in the world. Many children were wearing jerseys with the same number printed on their backs. They scrambled to the position, took pictures with their mobile phones and screamed his name: "Ronaldo! Ronaldo!" Security personnel escorted the football player onto the team bus, so the children ran to the bus and waved to him through the window. He responded to them and the children screamed again.

Although we are in a small village in a tiny, in the heart of Croatia, just three miles from the Slovenian border and a 90-minute drive from the nearest metropolis, the name Ronaldo has as strong influence here as in Lisbon, Madeira, Manchester or Madrid. However, Ronaldo, which appears in Sveti Martin Na Muri in Croatia, is not Cristiano Ronaldo, oh no, not him. But Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. (Mini Ro). The son of a superstar football player – when we say superstars, referring to the top players in history, undoubtedly one of the top ten male footballers in history – is not uncommon to try to follow in the footsteps of his father. In fact, this is very common. Bailey's son Edinho worked as a goalkeeper for Bailey's Santos club in the 1990s, while Maradona had an illegitimate son (his mother named him Diego Armando Maradona Ronaldo Junior), who traveled in the Italian low-level league and was selected for the Italian Under-17 national team. Franz Bekenbauer's son Stefan Bekenbauer once played for the Munich 1860 team, while Zidane's son Enzo Zidane started his career in the low-level league through the Real Madrid youth training system. Perhaps the most successful example is Jody Cruyff, who has played for Manchester United, Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. At present, 23-year-old offensive midfielder Daniel Maldini, currently plays for Atlanta and Italy's national teams, and may be expected to surpass him.

Obviously, no one can reach their father's level (although Callum Best won the title of "Celebrity Island" which undoubtedly makes his father very proud), but it's still a reasonable path; you have extraordinary genes and also opportunities that most football players cannot reach. However, names can become a burden. Zidane's son, once named Enzo Fernandez, once said, "This won't change, but I'm trying to get rid of it and focus on being the best Enzo. People will compare you, criticize you, expect more from you, and say you're here because you're the son of so-and-so." So Mini Ro is the latest son of the star who tries to live up to his father's reputation (Thiago Messi is currently playing for Miami International's youth team, so, you know, get ready for it all to happen again). Like Messi Jr., Mini Ronaldo also plays for his father's club, which is the Riyadh Crescent team in Saudi Arabia. He has also played for Real Madrid, Manchester United (played alongside Kay Rooney) and Juventus (he reportedly scored 58 goals in one season). We know he can play a good free kick, but following in the footsteps of a master's father does not measure a person's talent.

However, a few weeks ago, something more specific happened: the 14-year-old was called up by the national team to represent the Portuguese under 15 national team. This week he traveled to Croatia, yes, following in his father's footsteps and representing the country, specifically at an annual Eight-Nation Youth Championship called Flatko Markovic. TA went to the scene to see how he performed.

If a football star is about to be born, everything here doesn't seem so lucky. At the Croatian Football Association base about 70 miles north of the Croatian capital Zagreb, Sveti Martin Na Muri has several well-looking courts and several small buildings. There are no road signs here. On Tuesday morning, Mini Roll's international career is about to begin, and he will play an 80-minute game against Japan at 12:15 noon.

In a small shed at the far end of the court, they were watching videos of a game that looked like Dynamo Zagreb in the 1980s, a game that was caught in a melee among the chaotic fans under the control of water cannons. The locals discussed enthusiastically and laughed, but they were talking in Croatian, so they could only guess that they were enjoying it. Oh, and there are bars that don’t accept credit card payments, which is enough to show how remote this place is.

spectators began to fill hundreds of seats on one side of the court. Among them are the players’ parents, local villagers, agents and scouts. This tournament includes not only Portugal, Japan and Croatia, but also England, France, Switzerland, Romania and Greece. There are many talented players coming out here.

Speaking of this, it is easy to recognize the mini Roll, who has a well-treated hairstyle and a slender figure. He was one of the first players to step off the Portuguese bus, which triggered a small photographer chase, both official and unofficial, taking photos of Ronaldo's heir to the throne. A young man wearing a Milan jersey took the first photo. He will record almost every move Ronaldo will be in the next few hours. "It's Cristiano," a local security officer whispered.

Back to the shack, the local alcoholics had learned about Ronaldo. He sat on the bench and his name was registered as Cristiano dos Santos (his middle name). ”

There are still many games to go before we really understand how great Mini Ronaldo might be. In fact, he will be back today (Thursday), which could be another step in his journey to professional football when Portugal is against England. Anyway, if he winks at his teammates after helping to send an English player off the court, you will be sure that he is his father's son.