Cristiani Ronaldo, the Portuguese professional football player, sent football fans nuts on Friday with the news of him re-signing Manchester United. He is the first footballer to make $1 billion as a sportsman in his career. He has been the centre of many awards and recognitions. He has won back-to-back Ballons d’Or, been regarded as the most capped player, and also received the Golden Boot in Euro 2020.
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Club Career
At the age of 16, he played with Sporting CP till 2003 after which he met with Arsene Wenger at the Arsenal’s grounds and discussed a transfer to Manchester United. There he received the number 7 shirt which was previously used by one of the well-known footballers like David Beckham.
He even became the most expensive teenager in the history of English Football. The journey from 2003-2009 not only helped him grow and achieve as a player but also made him bring laurels to the club.
On 10th May 2009, he scored his last goal for Manchester United with a free-kick. Real Madrid was his home from 2009-2018. The transfer made a world record with a fee of £80 million. After this, he had a four-year contract with the Italian club Juventus.
It is believed that under Cristiano, Juventus became a worse football team. Despite the cooperation, Juventus has been held back in many ways such as his reluctance towards the press.
Back to Manchester United
The club made it official by resorting to the media with a post saying “Welcome home, Cristiano”. They added that “Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical”.
Ronaldo left Turin, said goodbyes, and moved to Lisbon for his medical. Not only the fans but the entire Premier League industry has high hopes with Ronaldo being back in the team. The chances of clinching the title have increased for United.
Solskjaer, the manager, has high praises for the football legend. “He’s such a tremendous human being so let’s see what happens with him. Everyone who’s played with him will have a soft spot for him,” he stated.
“I have to say he’s probably the greatest player of all time, arguably him and (Lionel) Messi. It is what it is.”
Lionel Messi is considered to be his career rival.
Not only has the news sparked a new joy in the people but also made the internet go wild. The news has also become a subject to memes wherein fans are poking fun of City.12 years, and now Ronaldo is returning to Old Trafford, the deal was negotiated with his agent, Jorge Mendes. It is said Cristiano was looking for a new challenge anyway and had some “unfinished businesses” with Manchester United.
The Rape Case
Amidst the whirlwind, Ronaldo’s news has always invited the attention of the public towards a legal controversy that he is linked to. The former model, Kathryn Mayorga in 2009 accused the player of rape at a Las Vegas resort. The allegations were denied, deemed fabricated and that possibly a cybercriminal was behind it.
An out-of-court settlement was done with a payment of $375,000 to which the model agreed to not talk about the rape case.
The case however opened in September 2018. The #metoo movement encouraged her to do so. Popular brands like Nike were worried and the shares of Juventus also reportedly dropped. Las Vegas prosecutors say that he will not face charges as the assault can’t be proven.
In short, the predictions say that Manchester will likely soar with Ronaldo playing for it while the rape case says a lot about the public for glamorizing sportspersons without actually knowing their charges.
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