Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Manchester United after 12 years. The mercurial striker has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Old Trafford club.
Manchester United have agreed to pay Juventus £12.86m with an additional £6.8m in add-ons for the 36-year-old, with the deal subject to personal terms, a visa and a medical, implying that the forward would earn about £480,000 a week and an option of a year renewal thereby, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League.
Christiano Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 games in his first spell at Old Trafford before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009.
The Portuguese mercurial striker is heading back to Manchester United 12 years after leaving the club a world record £80million move to Real Madrid then.
Ronaldo stated that: “Manchester United is a club that has always had a special place in my heart, and I have been overwhelmed by all the messages I have received since the announcement on Friday,”
“I cannot wait to play at Old Trafford in front of a full stadium and see all the fans again. I’m looking forward to joining up with the team after the international games, and I hope we have a very successful season ahead.”
“You run out of words to describe Cristiano,” said United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “He’s not only a marvellous player but also a great human being. To have the desire and the ability to play at the top level for such a long period requires a very special person.
“I have no doubt he will continue to impress us all and his experience will be so vital for the younger players in the squad.
“Ronaldo’s return demonstrates the unique appeal of this club and I’m absolutely delighted he’s coming home to where it all started.”
Having won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League at United, Ronaldo went on to lift the Champions League four times for Madrid, where he also won La Liga twice.
He was once the most decorated player in football history, the 36-year-old also picked up two Serie A titles following his 2018 transfer to Juventus, while on the international stage he helped guide Portugal to victory at Euro 2016.
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The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s emotional return to United comes after he had appeared set to join the club’s Premier League rivals Manchester City, who had moved to the front of the queue for Ronaldo’s services when they missed out on Harry Kane.
However, United’s persistence and the emotional pull of a return to Old Trafford proved too much for Ronaldo to resist, and the club announced that they had agreed with a deal in principle to sign him on Friday.
Ronaldo first joined United as an 18-year-old from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, and it was his formative years at the club which set him on the road to being considered as one of the greatest players of all time.
Several United figures were involved in the efforts to bring Ronaldo back to the club, including the forward’s former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his Portugal international teammate Bruno Fernandes and some of the club’s former players Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.
Ronaldo informed Juventus of his desire to leave the Serie A side on Friday, before jetting from Madrid to Lisbon ahead of his international duty with Portugal.
He undertook his United medical in Lisbon and is set for his second club debut against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on September 11.
Ronaldo’s former teammate Gary Neville has said that he believes the move will give the club the confidence to compete for the Premier League title this season.
“This is one of the most special players that has ever lived – forget Manchester United, it’s one of the greats of all time,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“I said the other day United should be in for Kane if he was available, or [Erling] Haaland, these types of players.
“To get above Manchester City and Chelsea, they’re going to have to do something big, and this could give them a temporary shot in the arm to get them right up there this year.”I still believe Manchester City are a favourite but the odds are closing and closing rapidly.
At Juventus, he scored 101 goals in 134 appearances and that was in Serie A. They won the league twice the Italian Cup and the Super Cup as well.
“The ultimate aim is to become true title contenders and I believe this signing will make them that.”
Former United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich agrees, telling the same channel: “I do think they were contenders at the start of the season…now Ronaldo is the icing on the cake.
Owen Hargreaves, who won the Champions League alongside Ronaldo in 2008, said: “I remember my first-day training with him. He was the first person on the training pitch, the first person in the ice bath and then the first person in the gym.
“I remember him doing sit-ups and at the end of his set he sat up and said: ‘I’m going to be the best player in the world at the end of this year.’ And he was.
“His dedication to his craft is equal to his talent, which is remarkable.
“Everyone thinks it’s all about him, but he wants to win. He’s coming back to United to win and that’s why I think as a mentor for these young guys at United he is the perfect fit and I think it’s going to be fabulous to watch it all.”
Christiano Ronaldo Statistics
- A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, claiming the coveted prize in 2008 (with Man Utd) and 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 (all with Real Madrid).
- A five-time Champions League winner in 2008 (with Man Utd), and 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (all with Real Madrid).
- Won seven league titles in three major leagues in 2007, 2008, 2009 (all with Man Utd), 2012 and 2017 (with Real Madrid) and 2019, 2020 (with Juventus).
- A European Championship winner with Portugal in 2016.
- Winner of 32 trophies for club and country with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal.
- All-time Champions League leading scorer with 134 goals in 176 appearances.
