OFFICIAL: Man Utd confirm Cristiano Ronaldo signing
Martin Macdonald
- 31 Aug 2021 09:43 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United and Juventus have both officially confirmed the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Premier League giants.
Man Utd had already announced on Friday that they had reached an agreement to re-sign Ronaldo from the Italian side, and both clubs made it official on Tuesday.
🇵🇹🔴 𝗩𝗜𝗩𝗔 𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗢 🔴🇵🇹
🏡 @Cristiano is back!#MUFC | #RonaldoReturns— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 31, 2021
Juventus revealed that Man Utd will pay €15 million (£13m) plus €8m (£7m) in add-ons for the superstar.
Man Utd added in their press release that Ronaldo was joining on a two-year contract, with the option for a third year.
“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 said.
"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.”
The Portuguese previously played for Man Utd between 2003 and 2009 before completing a world-record transfer to Real Madrid.
In his first spell with the club, he developed into one of the world's finest players which led to a Ballon d'Or win in 2008.
Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said of the signing: "I have no doubt that he will continue to impress us all and his experience will be so vital for the younger players. Ronaldo’s return demonstrates the unique appeal of this club and I am absolutely delighted he is coming home.”
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On Friday, Juventus confirmed that Ronaldo had asked to leave Turin before the end of the transfer window, with head coach Massimiliano Allegri saying: “I spoke to Cristiano yesterday and he told me he has no intention of staying so he has not trained today and won’t be called up for tomorrow.
“Ronaldo should be thanked for everything he’s done, including the example he has set to our young players. But as I said, we need to move on.”
Ronaldo should be thanked for everything he’s done, including the example he has set to our young players. But as I said, we need to move on
- Massimiliano AllegriPrior to those comments from Allegri, there were stong rumours circulating that Manchester City, not Man Utd, were the club looking to bring Ronaldo back to the Premier League.
However, by Friday afternoon BBC Sport had confirmed that Man City had turned down the opportunity to sign Ronaldo, even though they have also missed out on Tottenham striker Harry Kane this summer.
Ronaldo joins a star-studded attacking roster at Man Utd which includes Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and new signing Jadon Sancho.
Why did Ronaldo leave Juventus?
Ronaldo may remain one of the best players in the world despite now being 36 years of age, but Juventus were reportedly keen to move him on to get his exorbitant wages off the salary bill, as he earns more than most of the Juventus squad combined.
The player himself also wanted to leave, and previously requested agent Jorge Mendes to find him a new club.
For the opening Serie A match of the season versus Udinese on Sunday, Ronaldo was left on the bench, though he did come on and score as the Bianconeri could only manage a 2-2 draw.
On Friday, before the announcement from Juventus, he had missed training with the club.
