Cristiano Ronaldo made his long awaited Manchester United return at the weekend and he did not disappoint.
Ronaldo netted twice on his comeback to help down Newcastle, scoring at key times in the 4-1 win.
The Portuguese superstar’s performance was watched around the world, with former teammates Marcelo and Lucas Vasquez among those who congratulated him after his performance.
As always, Ronaldo made headline news, and we have taken a look at how the press reacted in Spain and Italy, the two countries where Ronaldo played his club football during his 12 years away from United.
The view from Spain
Spanish newspaper AS had a live blog on their website reporting on Ronaldo’s return, such was the interest in Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s comeback then featured as a lead article, with the headline, ‘Cristiano’s perfect return’.
AS reported: “The “SIIUUU” was shouted in Manchester. And it was not the only one that was sung during the afternoon. It was the perfect comeback. No one was going to miss it.”
Marca also reported on Ronaldo’s comeback, writing: “Cristiano Ronaldo stars in a dream comeback scoring a double against Newcastle and threatens to continue breaking records.”
El Mundo compared Ronaldo’s return to a ‘party’ at Old Trafford, adding: “Doubts about his return to his home for six years were cleared when Cristiano, at 36, tipped the balance against Newcastle with his first goals in a United shirt in twelve years.”
El Confidencial praised the ‘extraordinary atmosphere’ on a ‘euphoric’ afternoon at Old Trafford, writing: “Ronaldo played his first Premier League game since 2009 and once again put the fans in his pocket with a performance that seems to belie the passage of time.”
The view from Italy
Ronaldo’s exit from Juventus has turned the spotlight on the Serie A side, who lost 2-1 to Napoli at the weekend.
Tuttosport covered Ronaldo’s Old Trafford return in amongst the inquest into another Juventus loss.
The paper noted Ronaldo’s poacher’s first goal, adding that for the second he showed his ‘class and speed’ to show his quality.
Gazzetta dello Sport described Ronaldo’s return as a ‘colossal party’, noting that even the sun came out at Old Trafford.
The paper wrote: “The people of Old Trafford participated with affection and devotion: a bath of affection that warmed the heart of the Portuguese champion and produced, on the long wave of enthusiasm.”
The report added: “The rhetoric of “going home” for once simply photographed reality: Cristiano here began his ascent and here he will set, with the shirt that consecrated him and in the country where he found himself best.”
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