By God’sbest Christ’sfullness
Cristiano Ronaldo has been ranked among the 10 greatest players in Manchester United’s history after The Athletic placed him 10th in its list of the club’s top 25 footballers.
The ranking recognises the Portuguese superstar’s outstanding contributions across his two spells at Old Trafford, where he played a major role in the club’s domestic and European successes under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003 and went on to score 145 goals in 346 appearances before securing a then club-record £80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.
His first spell at the club was particularly successful, as he won nine major trophies, including three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2008. He also claimed his first Ballon d’Or after an exceptional 2007/08 campaign in which he scored 42 goals in all competitions.
The Athletic also highlighted Ronaldo’s individual achievements during his time at Manchester United. Among them were back-to-back Premier League Player of the Season awards and becoming the first player to win the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year honours in the same season in 2007.
Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra credited Sir Alex Ferguson for helping Ronaldo become one of the world’s best players by encouraging him to improve his goalscoring output and become more decisive in attack.
Former captain Gary Neville praised Ronaldo’s exceptional qualities in training, while former strength and conditioning coach Mike Clegg pointed to his discipline, professionalism and relentless work ethic as key factors behind his success.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021 after successful spells with Real Madrid and Juventus. He scored 24 goals in his first season back before leaving the club in 2022 following a highly publicised disagreement with the club.
Despite the manner of his second departure, The Athletic stated that Ronaldo’s achievements during his first spell remain among the finest in Manchester United’s history and suggested he could have been ranked even higher had he remained at the club instead of joining Real Madrid in 2009.
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