Here in the Transfer Tavern, we get a lot of folk reminiscing about yesteryear whilst they sink a few pints, often fondly remembering players that used to tear up the opposition for their side.
With Manchester United fans often coming in here throughout the week, we listen to more conversations about Cristiano Ronaldo than any other player- with the fans dreaming that one day soon he will return to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, you may now, has a new film about his wonderful career coming out soon so we decided to start a little debate as we asked our punters what they believe are Ronaldo’s finest moments in a Red Devils jersey.
There was plenty of suggestions and action to dive into but, with great difficulty, we narrowed it down to the five great moments of Ronaldo’s career in Manchester.
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CLICK HERE to see Ronaldo’s five best Manchester United moments- and check out the tweet below for your chance to win a retro Red Devils jersey with Ronaldo on the back!
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Want to #WIN 06/07 Ronaldo #UCL shirt? Just FOLLOW us and RETWEET to enter! #CR7FilmWinpic.twitter.com/BBc5KSpUS5
— FootballFanCast.com (@FootballFanCast) November 2, 2015
FA Cup final goal in debut season
Manchester United’s 2004 FA Cup final victory over Millwall isn’t a game that sticks out in the memory, as it’s probably the most one-sided cup final this millennia, but on man made the game special for himself; Cristiano Ronaldo.
Still just a teenager, coming to the end of his debut season with United, Ronaldo opened the scoring as he headed home Gary Neville’s cross just before half-time. This proved to be the catalyst for United’s win, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy adding a brace in the second-half.
Ronaldo lifted the first of many titles at United and it was clear that the Red Devils had a huge star on their hands.
Back-to-back Player Of The Month awards
For a player as huge and successful as Cristiano Ronaldo, winning consecutive Premier League Player Of The Month awards seems like a meaningless achievement. However, this came at a crucial time in his career.
It was back in 2006 after the English press had a field day following the World Cup exploits, which saw Ronaldo become the ‘winker’ as he played a part in Wayne Rooney’s dismissal; with England crashing out at the quarter-final stages.
The nation was against him, with the opening games of the campaign seeing him booed by rival fans across the country. However he did the talking with his feet, with excellent goals in November and December seeing him become only the third player to win the award in consecutive months.
Just a note for any pub quizzes, the other two were Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Fowler.
At the end of the season, he became the first player to win all four league awards; PFA Player Of The Year, PFA Young Player Of The Year, FWA Player Of The Year and PFA Fans’ Player Of The Year.
Consecutive Premier League titles
Ronaldo earned his first Premier League crown in May 2007, where his penalty in the Manchester derby set United on their way; with the honour being confirmed the following day as Chelsea drew with Arsenal.
A year later, Deja Vu occurred as a Ronaldo penalty helped to secure a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic and retain the Premier League crown.
He wasn’t done yet though, as 2008 was a golden year for the Red Devils.
Champions League success in Moscow
After sealing the Premier League title, Manchester United turned their attentions to the Champions League- with the chance to win a double and cause heartbreak for season rival’s Chelsea; who were looking to win their first European crown in the home nation of their owner, Roman Abramovich.
Ronaldo gave United the lead with a gravity-defying header and it was the 42nd goal of a sensational season. Frank Lampard later equalised, taking the game to penalties, but United were triumphant and celebrated success in the first all-English Champions League final.
It wasn’t plain sailing for Ronaldo, who saw Petr Cech save his penalty in the shoot-out and give John Terry the chance to win the crown. However he slipped, crashing his effort against the post, and Ronaldo’s celebration after the shoot-out was decided was lying face-down in the turf in tears of joy.
An iconic moment from a footballing legend.
His first Ballon D’Or
In December 2008 Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned World Player Of The Year, winning his first Ballon D’Or and becoming the first Manchester United player to win the honour in almost half a century; with the last Red Devils man earning the crown being George Best 40 years previously.
Ronaldo’s speech included him stating his intention to win the award again, something he has since done numerous times since moving to Real Madrid.
Old Trafford return
Ok, so he wasn’t wearing the red of United at the time but this game showed just how grateful the fans were to his tremendous displays. In February 2013, Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford with new-side Real Madrid and received a rousing welcome from the home support. For many, Ronaldo was home.
Ronaldo returned the gesture as he scored during the game, which finished 1-1, but refused to celebrate as a mark of respect towards the side that provided him with the platform to be where he is today.
