Cristiano Ronaldo just had to step onto the pitch to create history when he made his second Manchester United debut against Newcastle on Saturday.
The Portuguese’s return to the Old Trafford club, which he left to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, was one of the stories of the summer, with Man Utd pinching the forward for a bargain fee from Juventus.
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Ronaldo’s confirmed starting role and presence on the field did not come as a surprise, given that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted on Friday that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be involved in the match in some capacity.
Nevertheless, there was a clear buzz around Old Trafford as fans waited to see their hero on the field once again.
Ronaldo’s last Man Utd fixture may infamously be the Champions League final that they lost 2-0 to Barcelona but his final Premier League outing was a scoreless home draw against Arsenal on Saturday 16, May 2009.
It was a dead rubber as a fixture. Man Utd had already tied up the Premier League title while Arsenal’s place in fourth was secure.
Although the Red Devils had one final league match to play, Ronaldo sat out the trip to Hull in preparation for the Champions League final.
Ronaldo’s last Premier League goal, meanwhile, arrived on 10 May, 2009, when he scored a direct free kick against Manchester City in a derby clash.
Ronaldo was featuring on the right wing in those days, but he is expected to feature primarily as a centre forward upon his return to Manchester United.
