Picture Credit: Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is back with a bang. He nailed his second debut after 12 years for Man United with a couple of goals against Newcastle, resulting in a 4-1 victory for his side. The excitement among people present at Old Trafford on Saturday was quite evident as the spectators as well as the commentators left no stone unturned to make the day memorable for the Portuguese football giant. Such response from the crowd was however inevitable, given the aura Ronaldo has.
When the 36-year-old striker had announced his decision to reunite with the Red Devils, the fans were thrilled, the media was writing about his homecoming and the club players were elated with the thought of sharing the field with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani did not hesitate from giving up his No. 7 jersey for the player and taking up 21 instead.
Even though Ronaldo is a world-class player, a bit of thought on how his second debut for the Red Devils would fare was obvious. In a recent interaction with Sky Sports, the former Juventus star revealed that he was nervous even though he did not show it. “I was really nervous, maybe I did not show it," said Ronaldo. He also praised the fans for such a warm welcome. "The reception was incredible. I was thinking last night that I wanted to show I'm still capable of helping the team. When I started the game, I was super nervous when they were singing my name but this crowd is unbelievable," he said.
I am here to help the team: Ronaldo
After an incredible outing on his second debut, Ronaldo is now focused on winning trophies for the team. He said that the young team created by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is capable of winning the Premier League and also the Champions League but needs a bit of maturity. “We have a fantastic team, a young team and a fantastic coach. But... we have to build up confidence. The team needs to be mature if it wants to win the Premier League and Champions League,” Ronaldo said, adding, "I think we are in a good way, we have to win games, build up the confidence, build up the team and I am here to help the team."
Ronaldo, during his previous stint with Manchester United, scored 118 goals before moving to Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward boasts of a great record with 800 goals for club and country. Recently, he went past Iran’s Ali Daei record of 109 international goals to become the highest goalscorer in international football with 111 to his credit.