August 27, (THEWILL) – The confirmation of the end of the rollercoaster ride that was the transfer drama of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Serie A giants Juventus came from Manchester United, who confirmed that the football icon had returned to where it all started.
It brings to an exciting end a summer of, first rumours, and then confirmations that the prolific striker had reached a decision to continue his career elsewhere than the Turin club, where he had spent the previous three seasons.
The striker was rumoured to be initially headed to Manchester City to fill in the vacant slot in the attack line left by the departure of Sergio Aguero until City publicly confirmed that he was not in their plans for the summer.
It was also reported that a call from former manager and United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought Ronaldo to Old Trafford carried some significance in convincing Ronaldo and his negotiating team to bring the record-setting Portuguese back to the United fold.
In a brief message posted online, United confirmed that the 36-year-old, who won over the hearts of many United fans in his early years, had returned for a fee of €28 million. The striker had joined them from his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon in 2003 for a fee of roughly £17 million and was nurtured by Ferguson.
Now he is returning to their Theatre of Dreams.
In the six years he spent in Manchester, Ronaldo scored 118 goals and assisted a further 69. The 2007/2008 season was his most impressive. At the end of the campaign, he had accumulated 31 goals in 34 Premier League appearances.
In the same year, in Europe, Ronaldo was the only scorer in normal or extra time during the Champions League final that year, which the Red Devils went on to win 6-5 on penalties after John Terry’s infamous slip that Chelsea fans have not gotten over.
The iconic status Ronaldo earned in Manchester earned him interest from the Galacticos-gathering ambitions of Real Madrid where Ronaldo moved to become, arguably, the best player in the world. As a forward for Los Blancos, Ronaldo had more goals than appearances to cement his legacy.
After some uncomfortable incidents in Madrid, Ronaldo joined Italian giants Juventus in 2018. Although he advanced in age, the striker maintained his impressive record for the three seasons he spent in Italy even if it ended with the disappointment of not winning the UEFA Champions League and failing to defend the domestic title last season.
While the back and forth of his departure loomed over the last lap of the transfer season, it was finally confirmed on Friday that his time at Juve was up. Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes was believed to be in direct talks with Manchester City for the transfer of his agent to England.
The expectation was that after personal terms were agreed, Ronaldo will be publicly declared a City player upon an agreement of transfer fees between City and Juve. Only for that to fizzle out with City backing off. United were the only contenders left in the race for Ronaldo.
Where the intervention of Ferguson came into the picture was in effecting a speedy resolution of the terms with Ronaldo on Friday morning. Things moved swiftly after that and it was not long before United confirmed that their forward was back.
As a Red Devil all over again, Ronaldo will look to continue his impressive form back where it all began and could help the Red Devils to their first Premier League title in over 8 years with his compatriot Bruno Fernandes providing the means and Paul Pogba making things happen in the middle of the park.
About the Author
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.
