[b]Manchester United[/b]
[b]2003–2005[/b]
Ronaldo became [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United_F.C.]Manchester United[/url]'s first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Premier_League_2002%E2%80%9303]2002–03 season[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-12][/url][/sup]
He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want
the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7
shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Best]George Best[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Robson]Bryan Robson[/url], [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Cantona]Eric Cantona[/url], and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beckham]David Beckham[/url].
"After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28.
But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous
shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to
such an honour.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-13][/url][/sup]
Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4-0 home victory over [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolton_Wanderers_F.C.]Bolton Wanderers[/url]. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_F.C.]Portsmouth[/url] on 1 November 2003. He scored United's thousandth Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesbrough_F.C.]Middlesbrough[/url]. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFPro_Special_Young_Player_of_the_Year]FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year[/url] award in 2005.
[b]2006–2007[/b]
In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FA_Premier_League_Player_of_the_Month]Barclays Player of the Month[/url] honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Bergkamp]Dennis Bergkamp[/url] in 1997 and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Fowler]Robbie Fowler[/url] in 1996.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-14][/url][/sup] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_City_F.C.]Manchester City[/url]
on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in
four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special
Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Madrid_C.F.]Real Madrid[/url] were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-16][/url][/sup]
he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension
with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team
history.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-17][/url][/sup][sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-18][/url][/sup]
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFA_Players%27_Player_of_the_Year]PFA Players' Player of the Year[/url] and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFA_Young_Player_of_the_Year]PFA Young Player of the Year[/url] awards, joining [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Gray_%28commentator%29]Andy Gray[/url] (in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976%E2%80%9377_in_English_football]1977[/url]) as the only players to receive this honour.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-19][/url][/sup] In April, he completed the treble by winning the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFA_Fans%27_Player_of_the_Year]PFA Fans' Player of the Year[/url]. Ronaldo was also one of seven Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFA_Team_of_the_Year]PFA Premier League Team of the Year[/url][b]2007–2008[/b]
Ronaldo's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League_2007%E2%80%9308]2007–08[/url] season began with a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_card]red card[/url] for a headbutt on [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_F.C.]Portsmouth[/url] player [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hughes_%28footballer%29]Richard Hughes[/url] during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-20][/url][/sup] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-21][/url][/sup]
After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against
Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return
fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-22][/url][/sup]
He finished as the runner-up to [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kak%C3%A1]Kaká[/url] for the 2007 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Footballer_of_the_Year]Ballon d'Or[/url],[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-23][/url][/sup] and was third in the running for the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Player_of_the_Year]FIFA World Player of the Year[/url] award, behind Kaká and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi]Lionel Messi[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-24][/url][/sup]
Ronaldo scored his first [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat_trick]hat trick[/url] for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_United_F.C.]Newcastle United[/url] at [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Trafford]Old Trafford[/url] on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-25][/url][/sup] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_Football_Club]Reading[/url], equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-26][/url][/sup] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympique_Lyonnais]Lyon[/url] on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nani_%28footballer%29]Nani[/url], prompting an investigation by UEFA.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-27][/url][/sup] One month later, Lyon were fined [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_franc]CHF[/url]5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-reuters-28][/url][/sup]
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his
career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-29][/url][/sup]
The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new
club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped
George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-30][/url][/sup] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Villa]Aston Villa[/url]
on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and
European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's torrid
scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win
the 2007–08 [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Golden_Shoe]European Golden Shoe[/url], finishing eight points ahead of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCD_Mallorca]Mallorca[/url]'s [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dani_G%C3%BCiza]Dani Güiza[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-31][/url][/sup]
In the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Champions_League_Final]2007–08 Champions League final[/url] on 21 May against league rivals [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C.]Chelsea[/url],
Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by
a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after
extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in
position to win the trophy, but [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Terry]John Terry[/url]
shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester
United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA
Fans' Man of the Match,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-uefaCL-32][/url][/sup] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling just four short of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Law]Denis Law[/url]'s team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.
Home 
Calendar