Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to make his second debut for Manchester United.
The Portuguese star is expected to feature for United this weekend at Old Trafford against Newcastle United, 18 years on from when he made his first appearance for the club.
United had signed Ronaldo from Sporting in 2003 as a successor to David Beckham.
In the lead-up to the season opener against Bolton Wanderers, opposing boss Sam Allardyce revealed he had been warned about Ronaldo by one of his players.
Allardyce told The MEN: “Jardel tells me he is an unbelievable, fantastic footballer. Who knows how long it will take to get him ready for the Premiership or if he’ll be involved tomorrow.”
A memorable debut
Ronaldo was on the bench and United led 1-0 at half-time thanks to a Ryan Giggs free-kick.
After 61 minutes, Sir Alex Ferguson decided he wanted more. Off came Nicky Butt and Ronaldo was sent on. The final scoreline showed how effective the winger was.
United won the game 4-0, with Giggs adding a second, Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring. It could have been five, with Van Nistelrooy missing a penalty after Ronaldo was fouled inside the box.
Ronaldo’s debut was all anybody was talking about after the game, with BBC Sport reporting: “The afternoon belonged to Portuguese wonder kid Ronaldo, who displayed the dazzling skills that convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to bring him to the self-styled Theatre of Dreams for £12.24m.”
The winger’s trickery electrified Old Trafford and caused havoc for Bolton, opening up spaces in their defence which Ronaldo’s teammates could take advantage of.
Reaction to Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted by The Guardian: “It was a marvellous debut. I thought the pace was too slow in the first half and I knew Cristiano would add penetration.
“David [Beckham] contributed hugely to our success and has a place in the history of the club that will last for ever, but we must never stand still.”
Opposing manager Sam Allardyce said: “He was different class, he looks a very exciting player and his introduction was crucial.”
Allardyce added to ESPN: “He reminds me of Ryan Giggs when he first started. He can go inside, outside, uses both feet and runs at people. Everyone holds their breath when he gets the ball.”
Ronaldo’s performance captivated former number seven great George Best, who expressed amazement at the winger’s ability.
Best was quoted by ESPN: “It was undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen.
“There have been players who have some similarities [to me], but this lad’s got more than anyone else, especially as he is genuinely two-footed.
“He can play on either wing, beat players with ease and put in dangerous crosses with his left or right peg. When was the last time you saw that?”
Spare a thought for Ronaldo’s opponent
Bolton defender Nicky Hunt told the MEN about his tough time going up against Ronaldo.
He said: “I had Giggs on my side for 60 minutes and Ronaldo for 30. I don’t think it could have got any worse for me that day!”
“When playing against players like Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Arjen Robben, you’d seen clips of them previously but with this kid, I’d never seen anything. I didn’t know what foot he wanted to go, can he go right, can he go left? Does he take you down the line, does he cut inside?
“It’s so hard with Ronaldo because his feet are so quick and he does things fast that by the time you can react he’s already gone past you or whipped a cross in.”
Ronaldo was quite clearly a special talent, although nobody probably would have foreseen quite how good he would go onto become.
The winger has evolved into more of a centre-forward as his career has progressed, and he is currently the all-time leading international goalscorer and Champions League goalscorer.
Now back at United for a second stint, opponents know what to expect from Ronaldo at 36. But managing to stop him, is a different task entirely, and one few have succeeded with so far, as he closes in on 800 career goals.
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