Cristiano Ronaldo relishing Manchester United return as he eyes more Old Trafford glory

George Flood31 August 2021

Cristiano Ronaldo says he “cannot wait” to play for Manchester United once again as he sets his sights on bringing the glory days back to Old Trafford.

The Portuguese superstar’s sensational return to the club he left for Real Madrid in a then world-record transfer 12 years ago was officially confirmed on Tuesday morning, with Ronaldo penning a two-year contract that includes the option for a further 12 months.

Juventus had bid farewell to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after three years, 101 goals in 133 appearances and five major trophies earlier in the day, revealing that the deal to take him back to United was only costing the Red Devils £12.8million payable over five years.

United could have to pay an extra £6.87m in add-ons, while Ronaldo is expected to the highest-paid player in Premier League history, earning approximately £500,000-a-week.

It remains to be seen if the 36-year-old will reclaim his old No7 shirt from Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, with talks underway.

Ronaldo is currently away on international duty with Portugal, who host the Republic of Ireland in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night before further matches against Qatar and Azerbaijan.

Ronaldo could make his second United debut when Newcastle visit Old Trafford in the Premier League on September 11.

“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,” Ronaldo told United’s official website.

“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.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in