| Ronaldo de Jesús | |
| Full Name: | Ronaldo Nawel de Jesús López |
| Birth Date: | 21 April 2001 |
| Birth Place: | San Patricio, Paraguay |
| Height: | 1.9 m |
| Position: | Defender |
| Currentclub: | Cerro Porteño |
| Clubnumber: | 35 |
| Years1: | 2023– |
| Clubs1: | Cerro Porteño |
| Caps1: | 27 |
| Goals1: | 4 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | Paraguay U23 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 12:43, 3 October 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 12:43, 3 October 2024 (UTC) |
Ronaldo Nawel de Jesús López (born 1 October 2004) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays as a defender for Cerro Porteño.
Born in San Patricio in the Misiones Departament, De Jesús was given his first name by his father, who idolised the Brazilian footballer Ronaldo. De Jesús began playing in his local football school before moving on to Libertad San Patricio and then Cerro Porteño at age 16. He had unsuccessfully trialled at Club Libertad and Club Olimpia, and was only permitted to join Cerro by his parents if he continued studying, in his case a course in sports sciences.[1]
On 6 April 2023, De Jesús made his debut in the Copa Libertadores in a 2–1 home win over Barcelona S.C. of Ecuador, playing the last nine minutes as a substitute for Federico Carrizo.[2] He scored his first goal on 1 October in the Paraguayan Primera División; in a team starting with two academy players at full back due to shortages, he scored the added-time winner in a 3–2 home win over Sportivo Ameliano.[3] Six days later, he scored again in added time, this time the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Club General Caballero JLM in the 12th minute added on.[4]
De Jesús played all seven games for the Paraguay national under-23 football team as they won the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela, and scored in a 4–3 comeback win over Uruguay in the group stage. Upon his return to Asunción, he burst into tears when reunited with his mother, in a photograph that went viral in Paraguay.[5] He was chosen for the 2024 Olympic tournament in France.[6]