The stage was set for Cristiano Ronaldo as soon as he sealed his storybook return to Manchester United.
Having left Old Trafford as the world’s best player, Ronaldo spent the next decade underlining those credentials, winning everything on offer at Real Madrid and Juventus. And so when United managed to fend off interest from Manchester City to re-sign him, there was cause for widespread celebration.
The 37-year-old was quickly identified as the missing piece of a United team which finished as ‘best of the rest’ the season previous. His second debut suggested that would be the case as well, scoring two in a home win over Newcastle in September 2021.
