If you are a fan, you must know there are iconic players who the world enjoys, one of them is Cristiano Ronaldo. But When Did Ronaldo Joined Manchester United?
First of all, when did Ronaldo join Manchester United? This article gives you a piece of in-depth information about Ronaldo’s stay at Man U until he left for Real Madrid, so, let’s answer this.
When Did Ronaldo Joined Manchester United?, Cristiano Ronaldo, manchester United, career
When Did Ronaldo Joined Manchester United?
Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting CP on August 12, 2003, for a cost of £12.24 million. He became Manchester United’s first Portuguese player. He preferred the number 28, which he wore at Sporting, but was eventually assigned the number 7.
Ronaldo joined Manchester United on August 12, 2003, too late for the 2003 FA Community Shield but just in time for their opening day game against Bolton Wanderers in the 2003-04 season, making him the club’s first Portuguese signing.
His transfer cost makes him the most expensive adolescent in English football history. Although he requested the number 28, his Sporting number, he was given the squad number 7, which had previously been used by United stars like George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. Ronaldo found that wearing the number 7 added to his motivation.
Ferguson played a vital role in his development throughout his time in England, as he subsequently stated: “He’s been my father in sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my career.”
Ronaldo plays for Manchester United against Chelsea during the 2005-06 Premier League season.
In a 4-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers at home on August 16, 2003, Ronaldo made his Premier League debut as a substitute and was met with a standing ovation. He had been Nicky Butt’s replacement.
Best praised his performance, calling it “undoubtedly the most exciting debut” he’d ever seen. Ronaldo scored his first goal for Manchester United, a free kick, in a 3-0 victory over Portsmouth on November 1.
Three more league goals followed in the second half of the season, the latest coming against Aston Villa on the season’s last day, in which he also received his first red card. Ronaldo completed his debut season in English football by scoring the first goal in United’s 3-0 victory over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final, claiming his first trophy.
Alan Hansen, a BBC expert, named him as the final’s star. During the season, the British press chastised Ronaldo for his “elaborate” step-overs in an attempt to defeat opponents, while teammate Gary Neville described him as “not a show pony, but the real thing” and predicted he would become a world-class player.
“We know he’s got the tricks and party pieces, but they’re useless without something to show for it. We have to remember, of course, that the lad is only 19 years old.
We must remember, however, that the lad is only 19 years old. Given that, you have to conclude that he is extremely talented. His feet are fascinating at times, and if he can combine them with continuous good crossing, the future seems bleak.”
Ronaldo scored United’s 1,000th Premier League goal against Middlesbrough on October 29, 2004, the sole goal in a 4-1 loss.
A few weeks later, he signed a new contract with the club, extending his previous one by two years to 2010. Ronaldo had two of his best games of the 2004-05 season at the start of 2005, scoring twice against Arsenal and providing an assist against Aston Villa.
He played the entire 120 minutes of the 2005 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, which concluded in a goalless tie; despite Ronaldo’s penalty shoot-out conversion, United lost 5-4.
Ronaldo won his second English football trophy, the Football League Cup, by scoring the third goal in United’s 4-0 final victory over Wigan Athletic.
In his third season in England, Ronaldo found himself embroiled in a few incidents. UEFA imposed a one-match ban on him for a “one-fingered gesture” directed at Benfica fans, and he was red-carded in the Manchester derby, a 3-1 defeat, for kicking former Manchester United player Andy Cole, who was then with Manchester City.
Ronaldo battled with a teammate, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was offended by the winger’s showboating style of play.
Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in which he was involved in an altercation that resulted in the dismissal of club teammate Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo openly requested a move, criticising the club’s lack of support in the aftermath of the incident. United ruled out the notion of him leaving the club.
Even though Ronaldo was jeered throughout the 2006–07 season because of his confrontation with Rooney during the World Cup, it ended up being his breakthrough year as he scored 20 goals and won his first Premier League championship.
His one-on-one training with first-team coach René Meulensteen taught him to be more unpredictable, improve his teamwork, call for the ball, and capitalise on goalscoring opportunities rather than waiting for the chance to score the aesthetically pleasing goals for which he was already known, which was a key factor in his success. He scored three straight braces at the end of December, against Aston Villa (a victory that propelled United to the top of the league), Wigan, and Reading.
Ronaldo was voted Premier League Player of the Month in November and December, making him only the third player to receive consecutive awards.
Ronaldo scored his first goal in the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Roma, scoring twice in a 7-1 victory.
He then scored four minutes into the first semi-final leg against Milan, which resulted in a 3-2 victory, but was ruled out of the second leg, which United lost 3-0 at San Siro.
He also helped United reach the 2007 FA Cup Final, but they lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Ronaldo scored the only goal in the Manchester derby on May 5 (his 50th for the club), helping United win their first league title in four years.
As a result of his performances, he received numerous personal honors during the season. He became the first player to win all four major PFA and FWA awards, including Player’s Player, Fans’ Player, Young Player, and Footballer of the Year.
His pay was increased to £120,000 per week as part of a five-year contract renewal. Ronaldo finished second behind Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d’Or and third, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi, for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick for United in a 6-0 win over Newcastle United on January 12, 2008, propelling United to the top of the league table.
On March 19, he captained United for the first time in a 2-0 home victory over Bolton, scoring both goals.
His second goal of the season was his 33rd overall, breaking George Best’s record of 32 goals in 1967–68 and creating a new club record for a midfielder’s single-season total.
He became the first winger to win the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe with 31 league goals.
He also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year honors for the second straight season.
Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Lyon in the Champions League knockout stage, advancing United to the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate; as a striker, he scored with a header in the 3-0 aggregate victory over Roma.
United advanced to the final against Chelsea in Moscow on May 21, where, despite his initial goal being canceled by an equalizer and his penalty kick being saved in the shootout, United won 1-1, 6-5 on penalties.
Ronaldo was crowned UEFA Club Footballer of the Year after scoring the most goals in the Champions League.
During the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions, making it his most prolific stint in England.
He missed three games after headbutting a Portsmouth player at the start of the season, which he stated taught him not to get provoked by his opponents.
As rumors spread about Ronaldo’s interest in joining Real Madrid, United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA over Madrid’s purported pursuit of their player, but the organization declined to take action.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter expressed his opinion that players should have the freedom to leave their clubs, characterizing the circumstances as “modern slavery.” Although Ronaldo publicly endorsed Blatter’s viewpoint, he opted to stay with Manchester United for another year.
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