Cristiano Ronaldo Returns to Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo is back! Back in May, many soccer fans have theorized reasons to try and make sense of why he has returned to Manchester United, the team that made him an instant sensation and allowed him to be regarded as one of the best forwards in the sport.

Juventus, Cristiano’s previous team, weren’t exactly offering to trade him out with other teams, but with an estimated loss of 300 million euros over the last two years, they claimed that if the star athlete wanted to leave, they would not stand in his way, as long as they received a hefty check. Extending his contract would have been extremely difficult, as the club was looking to rebuild its status through younger players.

Meanwhile, Manchester United was able to pay his hefty fee. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a trainer of Manchester United, commented that he supported the idea of a veteran goal scorer who could serve as a role model to the younger players on the team. IN addition to Ronaldo, the club had also re-signed Edinson Cavani, another veteran striker, to another one-year deal that was about to expire.

If Ronaldo wanted to leave Juventus, Manchester United seemed to be the most logical destination for him, and Cavani’s departure from the club would’ve helped balance Ronaldo’s wage.

Except that wasn’t what happened. On May 10, Manchester United made a decision to give Cavani another year on the team, kicking the option for an early move for Ronaldo to the dust. But out of the blue, it was discovered that Ronaldo wanted a move to Manchester United.

“I can’t believe that after nearly a decade he’s finally home,” said Luca W., a freshman at AISG.

The hints only started dropping a little less than two weeks ago. Edu Aguirre, a close journalist to Ronaldo, reported that Real Madrid wanted to bring him back, which prompted a public denial from the club’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti. A post from Ronaldo himself spoke about how he will not allow people to keep playing and throwing his name around.

When facts change, plans do too, and Jorge Mendes, the world’s top agent for around two decades as Ronaldo’s agent, understands this better than most. He had traveled to Paris to cover all trading options for Ronaldo. By Thursday, he was already contacting Manchester United, another option. This was happening while he was still in contact with Manchester City, waiting for them to send Juventus an official bid.