In a fast-moving deal that stunned the world of soccer, Ronaldo secured a return to Old Trafford on Friday — a day after telling
“Welcome back, Cristiano,” read a tweet posted by United. Within minutes, the club's official website had crashed.
Ronaldo is 36 years old, a completely different player to the skinny, outrageously skillful 17-year-old winger who first arrived at United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 with a box of tricks but little end product. In the following six years, he scored 118 goals in 292 appearances and swiftly became one of the most fearsome strikers in the world, winning the first of his five
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the current Man United manager, knows that all too well. He was once a teammate of Ronaldo.
“He is the greatest player of all time, definitely,” Solskjaer said Friday after Ronaldo's return was sealed.
Ronaldo will join for a fee of
It is the latest blockbuster move of the transfer window, coming barely two weeks after
Yet Ronaldo returning to United was not long in the making.
Indeed, the team did not expect him to leave
On Thursday, Ronaldo met with
By Friday, Ronaldo was boarding a private jet from
By then, United was the clear front-runner after fierce rival Manchester City pulled out of the running for his signature.
“Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester,” United said in a brief statement.
Ronaldo soon took to Instagram, saying he gave his “heart and soul for
"I’ll always love the city of
He never won the
“In the end," Ronaldo said, "we can all look back and realize that we achieved great things, not all that we wanted, but still, we wrote a pretty beautiful story together.”
Solskjaer had already dropped hints that United would be trying to sign its former star when speaking at a news conference on Friday, revealing that its playmaker from
“Agent Bruno," Fernandes later tweeted with a laughing emoji.
Before playing his first game back at United, Ronaldo will feature for
The landscape in English soccer has changed in the 12 years Ronaldo has been away. United and Chelsea were the top teams in the
City had been considering an option to buy Ronaldo after its top target,
It is not the first time United has beaten City to a player that both clubs apparently wanted.
United, which hasn't won the
With Ronaldo also now joining the squad, there will be an expectation on Solskjaer to deliver a first trophy of his tenure that began in 2018.
Ronaldo's work rate and pressing might be questionable in the twilight of his career but he remains a reliable and proven scorer. With his five goals and one assist, he won the Golden Boot at this year's European Championship despite only playing four games.
He is likely to share striker duties with another veteran player, 34-year-old
It is a short-term move by United, no doubt. But one that will shake up the
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