He’s returned. On Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo is scheduled to make his second Manchester United debut against Newcastle. However, what has been the Portuguese forward’s journey thus far at Old Trafford?

The 36-year-old striker, who left the Premier League powerhouses for Real Madrid in a then-world-record £80 million, made a stunning comeback to the team where he first made his reputation last month with a £19.8 million move.

Ronaldo had a very memorable debut season at Old Trafford. In the span of five years, the scrawny boy from Madeira became the greatest player in the world, winning the Premier League, world and European trophies, and individual awards like the Ballon D’Or in a spectacular and decisive manner.

The Portuguese wonderkid had some difficulties at Old Trafford. It took his United team three years to unseat Arsenal and Chelsea as Premier League champions. In addition, there was the 2006 confrontation between him and teammate Wayne Rooney following their World Cup matchup, and his final match for United ended in defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League.


The 36-year-old is a far cry from the person who landed on English soil for the first time in 2003. His workout photos from this past week feature a toned veteran who has competed at the highest level in eEurope, traveled the globe, and won everything.


As the Premier League awaits the return of perhaps its best player ever, Sportsmail looks back at Ronaldo’s initial stint at United by sifting through the archives.