August 31, (THEWILL) – The highly anticipated sensational return of five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United has been confirmed on Tuesday, the final day of the transfer season.
THEWILL reported earlier that the Portuguese superstar had passed his medicals in Lisbon, Portugal and that the final hurdle was sorting out the visa details. He has now joined the club on a two-year deal, with the option to extend for a further year, subject to international clearance.
The transfer sees the 36-year-old return to Old Trafford from Serie A side Juventus, 12 years after he sealed a transfer from the English Premier League to La Liga giants Real Madrid in what was a world-record £80 million fee, at the time.
What attracted the former Spanish champions was the prolific goal-scoring ability of the Portuguese as Ronaldo scored 118 times in nearly 300 appearances for Manchester United and Los Blancos were gathering a collection of superstars with which to conquer all of Europe.
Europe’s highest goal-scorer, Ronaldo initially signed for United under Sir Alex Ferguson and was handed the famous Number 7 shirt of the Red Devils as a teenager.
It was in the United colours that he won his first Ballon d’Or after helping the club to their 2008 Champions League triumph.
In remarks about his return to the Theatre of Dreams where it all started, Ronaldo said: “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.”
The Portuguese, who will also be linking up with influential compatriot Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford, was initially believed to be headed to cross-town rivals Manchester City after making his intention to leave Juventus clear but things changed swiftly in the process.
With the influential agent Jorge Mendes brokering the deal on behalf of his client, Ronaldo, and legendary United manager, Ferguson, getting involved together with a number of key figures at United, the decision was made to have Ronaldo return to Old Trafford.
In the ranks of the squad at United, Ronaldo will rejoin former Real Madrid teammate Raphael Varane and the newly signed Jadon Sancho that Man U eventually secured from Borussia Dortmund, as the high-profile signings for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in a productive summer for the Red Devils.
After seasons of near misses without any silverware to show for Solskjaer’s progress with the club, bringing Ronaldo in as a marquee addition in the squad means United now boasts an enviable, varied group of attacking options that will be a threat to opposing teams in the EPL and across Europe.
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 UEFA European Championship for his native Portugal and he is the first player to win leagues in three different countries.
As THEWILL reported, Ronaldo was also the highest goalscorer in last season’s Serie A and won the golden boot at this year’s European Championship.
Solskjaer hadhas all these in mind when he said: “You run out of words to describe Cristiano. He is 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 that 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 am absolutely delighted he is coming home to where it all started.”
The stunning end of the transfer from Serie A marks what had been an extremely busy, tumultuous summer for Europe’s mega-stars and mega-clubs that has also witnessed Lionel Messi’s shocking exit from Barcelona and Real’s persistent push to bring Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
