Manchester United are known as the most romantic club in the history of world football. Glory, passion, pride, success, agony - all these words can be associated with this famous old football club. The history of Manchester United are written by some of the greatest players ever to grace the game but one name stands out of all and that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is arguably the greatest football player ever but it all started for an 18-year-old boy at Manchester United. After winning everything possible here, the five-times BallonD’or winnerwent to Madrid, then Turin, won everything there is to win. Now he is back in Manchester again to take the club back to winning elite trophies. This story is the epitome why Manchester United is the most romantic club in the history of football.
Since the news broke out of Cristiano’s return to Old Trafford after 12 years, all eyes were in Manchester ahead of his second debut for the club against Newcastle United in Premier League on Saturday. The Old Trafford was absolutely buzzing with ‘Viva Ronaldo’ chants.The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric.
It's never easy to turn back the clock and recreate magic moments -- they say never go back, after all -- but Cristiano Ronaldo's football career has always defied logic, with no.7 shirt on his back again and by making a spectacular return to Manchester United with two goals in a 4-1 win against Newcastle United, he showed again that he only follows his own script.
Such is Ronaldo's pursuit of perfection that the 36-year-old probably left Old Trafford disappointed that he didn't mark his second United debut, which came 18 years after his first, by scoring a hat trick. But on a day when all eyes and cameras were fixed on the Portugal international, he scored in each half to show United have a striker capable of providing the goals to win a first Premier League title since 2012-13.In the first half of his second debut, the 36-year-old delighted the home fans, tapping home a rebounded shot from Manchester United superstar youngster Mason Greenwood.
It was almost an anticlimactic situation, after Ronaldo’s first half strike, Newcastle equalised but not for too long. Ronaldo struck again after a darting run from the midfield. The ball was provided to him by Luke Shaw and he obliged with a calm finish. The whole Stretford End erupted and in true Ronaldo form, he ran to the corner to perform his famous "Siuuuu" celebration along with the 75,000 crowd present at the theatre of dreams. As if all these were written in the stars. For United fans, this is what stuff of dreams are made of.
After the second goal, famous football commentator, Peter Drury’s poetic lines summed up his Old Trafford return perfectly. “It is Ronaldo. 2-1 Manchester United. The Theatre is living its dream. Madeira, Manchester, Madrid, Turin & Manchester again. Reeved in Red. Restored to this great gallery of the game. A walking work of art. Vintage, beyond valuation, beyond forgery or imitation.”
We know it’s just the start but we should not be surprised if Ronaldo turns in these kinds of performances week in week out and lead United to great things again. The man is a born winner, a gift from heaven and he is now back home, back like he never left.