Cristiano Ronaldo reunites with Manchester United on a reported €20 million (R346 246 800) from Juventus at the age of 37. The road back home is paved with an abundance of team silverware and many individual accolades over more than a decade of being apart.
– Joined Manchester United in 2003
– Joined Real Madrid in 2009
– Joined Juventus in 2018
Manchester United confirmed that Ronaldo will make a return to the club on Friday 27 August. Arguably the world’s best ever footballer and five-time Ballon d’Or winner is set to make his Old Trafford homecoming after the international break, having just completed his medicals on 30 August. Ronaldo joins United on a two-year deal after being separated for over a decade.
Cristiano posted on his social media a thank you message to Juventus and the fans, stating he will be leaving and will always love and have Juve in his heart, but this was all under rather controversial terms. He had asked to be left out of the fixture against Udinese as it was correctly assumed at the time, he was pushing for a move away from the club. Many in Turin believe the club will be better off without the star, but what remains is that within his three-year stay, he scored over 100 goals and secured five trophies for the Italian giants.
After what is speculated to have been “deep talks” between his agent Jorge Mendes and to the dismay of millions of Manchester United fans around the world, Manchester City was the destination for Cristiano just days before United stepped in.
The official report via Manunited.com read: Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical.
Cristiano, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has so far won over 30 major trophies during his career, including five UEFA Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the European Championship for his native Portugal.
In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games.
Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacted to his former teammates transfer talk saying: “Of course the fans have been excited for the last couple of days, we all are of course, he has had such a great career and he has been here before… He is going to give everybody a boost, of course. I played with him, he’s a great player, he is a top human being, he is a top professional, so he will give everybody in the squad and everybody around the club a buzz.
“I think everyone’s looking forward to having Cristiano in…
“We’re gradually improved and improved and signed younger players. Now we’ve signed Jadon, who is also a young player and Raphael who is experienced and won everything. Now hopefully Cristiano can come in and show what he’s done in his career.
“He’s a more experienced player than when he was here last time. He’s evolved and had an unbelievable career. All the talk about how he’s too old- just make it personal and he’ll show what he can do.”
The now 37-year-old Portuguese football star is expected to be unveiled, again, at Old Trafford when Manchester United welcome Newcastle United in the English Premier League after the international break.
We all know Ronaldo is passed his prime, but the experience and instinct on the football field is still evident when watching him perform.
Just like Lionel Messi now at Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo is in pursuit of one last ‘hoorah’ in the UEFA Champions League and the question begs, Can he help the Red Devils back to their first Champions League trophy since 2008 in Moscow?
Written by Joshua Gaillard