Manchester United could be about to wave goodbye to Cristiano for a second time, 19 years since he made his first appearance for the club.
Last season's top scorer is understood to be unhappy at Old Trafford after last season's sixth place finish. United are ready to let the veteran move on, amid concerns over squad morale, just a year after he returned following stints with Real Madrid and Juventus.
Back in 2003, we didn't know what we were getting with United's £12m signing from Sporting CP. It didn't take long to find out, though, with Ronaldo causing manager Sir Alex Ferguson a headache right from the get-go.
It was in August 2003 that an 18-year-old Ronaldo impressed for Sporting as they beat United in pre-season. The defeat was the first for Ferguson's side since early April, when Real Madrid won the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, with Fergie's men winning nine of their last 10 Premier League games to lift the title.
Less than a week after that defeat, Ronaldo was a United player. He was confirmed on the same day as Kleberson, with the Brazilian World Cup winner joining from Atletico Paranaense, but only Ronaldo made the matchday squad for the Premier League opener at home to Bolton Wanderers.
With the hosts 1-0 up on the hour mark, it was time to unleash Ronaldo. The new signing was introduced in place of Nicky Butt, and 1-0 quickly became 4-0 with the teenager on the pitch.
Where does Ronaldo rank among Man Utd's best Premier League players? Have your say in the comments section
'It was a marvellous debut,' Ferguson said after the performance. 'I thought the pace was too slow in the first half and I knew Cristiano would add penetration."
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce was similarly impressed. 'He was different class, he looks a very exciting player and his introduction was crucial,' he said.
"He reminds me of Ryan Giggs when he first started," Allardyce added. "He can go inside, outside, uses both feet and runs at people. Everyone holds their breath when he gets the ball."
Ferguson had been hoping to ease Ronaldo into action, but the performance against Bolton made that difficult. He wasn't directly involved in the goals - Ryan Giggs scored two, with Paul Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy also on target - but the BBC commented on his "dazzling skills" and the performance had clearly left its mark on Ferguson even years later.
“I always remember that when we had the discussion [about Ronaldo signing for United], I think the thing I wanted to impress on his agent, in particular, [was that] he won't play every game,” the legendary manager said in 2021. “But if he's so good, I can't stop him, [because] you always play your best players.
“The opening game of the season, he was substitute. He came on and he was absolutely bloody fantastic! The crowd was magnificent; the crowd loved it!
“So here we had a situation: do I play him the next game or do I put him back on the bench? That was a big problem, that, you know?!”
Ronaldo scored just four league goals in that first season, and six in all competitions. However, United were unable to lift the title, falling short as Arsenal went the entire season unbeaten.
Ferguson was right to point out that big problem, though. For a player not expected to be a regular right from the get-go, Ronaldo missed just 19 league games across his first three seasons at Old Trafford.
It was in season number four when he really kicked into gear, delivering what would be the first of 16 successive seasons of 20 or more goals. Now, as it appears his future could lie away from United once more, many fans won't want to forget the first time they saw him in the Premier League.
