Paint the Town Red: Ronaldo’s Triumphant Return to Man United

The 2021 world soccer transfer window has been one for the ages, but a certain someone’s name had been conspicuously absent. 

Never one to be outdone, Cristiano Ronaldo made waves over the weekend, as Italian club Juventus agreed to send the Portuguese striker to Manchester United for a fee of at least $27 million. 

Ronaldo, who informed Juventus of his desire to leave the club last week, initially seemed headed to United rival Manchester City, who were in need of a striker after Tottenham forward Harry Kane spurned their advances.

After City and Juventus were unable to reach an agreement regarding Ronaldo’s transfer fee, the Red Devils saw an opening and made their pitch. Ronaldo, who played at United for six seasons (2003-09), ultimately succumbed to the temptation of once again playing at Old Trafford.

He said goodbye to Juventus and its fans via an instagram post on his personal page.

“Today I depart from an amazing club, the biggest in Italy and surely one of the biggest in all of Europe,” he wrote. “I gave my heart and soul for Juventus and I’ll always love the city of Turin until my final days.”

The 36 year old scored 118 goals in 292 games during his first spell at United, winning three Premier League championships (2007-09), one Ballon d’Or (2008), and the Champions League (2008). He left to join Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a then-record fee of $110 million. 

Manchester United made the partnership “Instagram official,” in what has now become the most liked post by a sports team ever.

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“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,” they wrote. “Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester.”

As rumors of Ronaldo joining City began to gain traction, many in the Red Devil community sprung into action, believing one of their own could not and should not play for their cross city rival.

Among those was former manager and United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, to whom Ronaldo spoke before making his decision.

“Sir Alex played a massive part,” former United captain Rio Ferdinand told the BBC. “There was no way Cristiano was coming to Manchester United without speaking to Sir Alex. Simple as that.”

While most athletes Ronaldo’s age are on the downside of their career, there is nothing to suggest the Portuguese has any intention of slowing down. He won two Serie A titles in three years, and scored 101 goals in 134 appearances for Juventus.

“He’ll get you 25-30 goals this season. That’s what he does,” Ferdinand told the BBC. “He outscored Romelu Lukaku last year in Serie A, but what he can do for Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho alone is worth bringing.”