Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United has confirmed they have reached an agreement to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. The club has agreed to pay £12.8m for the 36-year-old, with the deal subject to personal terms, a visa, and a medical. He was a part of Manchester United till 2009 before leaving for Real Madrid. United only appeared to become an option when manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer held a news conference on Friday afternoon and said their former star is back with the club.
The deal even left Ronaldo surprised as he thought his club Juventus would not leave him. Juventus told Ronaldo they were willing to sell him during the transfer window – but only if their conditions were met by interested clubs. Ronaldo is the all-time Champions League leading scorer with 134 goals in 176 appearances. He is the winner of 32 trophies for club and country with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Portugal. He is 36 and signing such a huge deal speaks volumes of the kind of player he is.
Cristiano Ronaldo is 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). Besides that, he has also been a part of the Champions League-winning side 5 times. His records are unmatched and he has wished to play for 3 years from now. Ronaldo has since confirmed his departure in a goodbye message to Juve fans on Instagram. He is the highest followed athlete on Instagram.
Cristiano Ronaldo spent six years at United between 2003-2009, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, the FA Cup, and the League Cup. He is the highest followed athlete in the world and leaving the Italian club to British club will add to his following for sure. The move has been welcomed by United players past and current, with Ronaldo’s former teammate Rio Ferdinand praising the United board for moving quickly after Manchester City had appeared to be the 36-year-old’s likely destination. He has said in his tweet that the pendulum has swung back and that the Red Army will be champion once again as their star player is back.
Many Manchester United players took to social media to show how excited they are to welcome their hero Cristiano Ronaldo back. While the deal is yet to be finalized, Ronaldo will cost United a reported £21m in transfer fees, with Juventus allowing a cut-price move for the striker due to his age. He will also go straight to the top of the pay league at Old Trafford, with a weekly wage of £510,000 according to spotrac.com, significantly higher than current highest earner David de Gea. Manchester United gallery will now have many more posters of him and hopefully some trophies too. The transfer season is in full swing and hopefully, we will see many more singing and transfers in the coming days.