Big weeks for football heavyweights. Mere days after Messi moved to PSG — shifting loads of merch all the white — Ronaldo is confirmed to return to Manchester United.
Ronaldo got his start at Man U back in 2003, earning the Football Association Challenge Cup for the exceptional skill demonstrated in only his first year. Six years later, he was off to Real Madrid, followed by Juventus, where he’s been since 2018.
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According to ESPN‘s sources, Ronaldo is raking in €15 million (approximately $17.6 million) for a two-year contract that offers up to €8 million (nearly $9.5 million) in add-ons.
That’s a far cry from the €94 million that Ronaldo scored with his initial Madrid deal. Then again, Ronaldo in 2021 isn’t the same as Ronaldo in 2009. Like all sports, football is a young man’s game and Ronaldo is 36 — fairly young by all conventional standards, but up there for a pro player.
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Still, Ronaldo’s legacy alone — over 350 goals for Madrid, plenty of Champions League wins, FIFA cups and Ballon d’Or nods, to name but a few honors — is worth plenty (jerseys for sale soon) and he’s a worthy elder statesman of the sport, so to speak.
Plus, Ronaldo’s return to Man U is nothing if not nostalgic. Surely, that’s worth a couple million Euros in and of itself.
“Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester,” the club said in a statement. “In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games.” Presumably, the team hopes that he can repeat the feat.
Welcome 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲, @Cristiano #MUFC | #Ronaldo
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 27, 2021
This guy is loving it #Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/mixNwG7kfg
— «» (@mufcgabs) August 27, 2021