When was the last time Cristiano Ronaldo played in the Europa League?
Karan Tejwani
- 2 Sept 2022 10:20 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo will be staying at Manchester United until at least January after he failed to secure a transfer over the summer window.
The Portuguese star made it clear he wanted to leave the club earlier in the summer, as he wanted to play in the Champions League and compete for trophies in the final years of his career.
Clubs such as Bayern Munich, Paris-Saint-Germain and Chelsea refused to sign the 37-year-old, citing age, financial reasons or high financial costs as their reasoning behind.
As a result, Ronaldo will be playing in the Europa League in the upcoming season – at least in the group stages – something he hasn’t done since his days at Sporting as a teenager.
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Ronaldo has priors in the UEFA Cup
Manchester United entered this season’s Europa League after a disappointing sixth-place finish last season – and they were close to seventh, which would’ve resulted in Conference League qualification.
The Red Devils have a fascinating tie against Real Sociedad, while also taking on Moldovan side Sheriff Tisaspol and Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia.
Ronaldo has priors in this competition, but never in the group stages and this was back when the Europa League was still known as the UEFA Cup.
This happened in the 2003-04 season when Sporting took on Partizan Belgrade in the first round of the UEFA Cup, and the Serbian team ran out as winners over two legs.
🎙️ "As we said!" 🤨
Erik ten Hag comments on his team's morale after beating Leicester 1-0 and reacts to the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/mRC5xpwBFX— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 1, 2022
Partizan won the first leg 3-1 in Lisbon, in which Ronaldo came on as a second-half substitute with the game already away from Sporting’s reach.
He struggled to make an impact, but things were slightly better for him and his club in the second leg when Sporting travelled to Belgrade for the match.
This finished in a 3-3 draw, and Ronaldo started this match in an attack that included Ricardo Quaresma, who was also his international team-mate in later years.
Ronaldo played 74 minutes, providing an assist for Vitali Kutuzov’s goal but considering they were already behind in the tie, there was a tall order facing them.
He would be sold to Manchester United just a few weeks later and would go on to become a world star there, before spells at Real Madrid, Juventus and a return to Old Trafford, where he is currently.
