As the two most successful clubs in the history of English football met at Old Trafford, a Portuguese forward scored twice in 2021. It rather summed Manchester United’s fortunes that it wasn’t Cristiano Ronaldo; admittedly, he was still a Juventus player when Diogo Jota scored Liverpool’s first goal in May’s 4-2 win. He was an ever more disgruntled presence when his compatriot got their second in October’s 5-0 thrashing.
In their own way, however, each was a success story of his time. Ronaldo joined United as a teenage talent with five career goals to his name. Five years later, he was rewarded for a 42-goal season with the Ballon d’Or; such progress, as his contemporary Ricardo Quaresma’s career showed, was not inevitable. Ronaldo was in the right place to realise his considerable potential.
