Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United
Published on 29 October 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo's relationship with Manchester United comes in two very different spells, and they should never be blurred together. The first, from 2003 to 2009, turned a skinny teenage winger from Sporting CP into the best player in the world, delivering three consecutive Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League, and his first Ballon d'Or. The second, from 2021 to 2022, began with a hero's return and ended in a mutual parting of the ways, with no team trophy. This guide keeps the two spells clearly separated, with the dates, trophies, and turning points of each.
First spell: the arrival, 2003
Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in August 2003, at the age of 18, after tormenting United's defence in a friendly in Lisbon. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed him for a fee reported at around £12 million, and United handed him the number 7 shirt previously worn by George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. It was a bold statement of faith in a teenager who had played only one senior season in Portugal.
The early years were about development, not dominance. Ronaldo was a showman first and an end product second: stepovers, tricks, and pace, but with modest goal returns and a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. Ferguson protected him, coached him, and gradually turned him from a winger who entertained into a forward who decided matches. The first trophy came quickly, though: Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the 2004 FA Cup final against Millwall, a 3–0 win that gave him his first major honour in England.
First spell: the peak, 2006–2009
The transformation became visible in the 2006–07 season, when Ronaldo scored 17 league goals and United won the Premier League for the first time since 2003. The following season, 2007–08, was the greatest of his career to that point and one of the great individual seasons in English football history. He scored 42 goals in all competitions, including 31 in the Premier League, won the European Golden Shoe as Europe's top league scorer, and was named the world's best player.
That season ended in Moscow, in the Champions League final against Chelsea. Ronaldo scored United's goal with a header, missed a penalty in the shootout, and still ended the night a European champion after United won the shootout 6–5, with Edwin van der Sar saving Nicolas Anelka's kick. Months later, Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or, at the age of 23, becoming the first Premier League player since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the award.
The third consecutive Premier League title followed in 2008–09, along with the FIFA Club World Cup in December 2008 and the League Cup in March 2009. United also reached a second consecutive Champions League final, in Rome, but lost 2–0 to Barcelona. Ronaldo's final competitive contribution of the spell included one of his most famous goals: a long-range strike against Porto in the Champions League quarter-final that won the inaugural FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year.
Across the first spell, Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 appearances for United, according to the club's own summary when he returned in 2021, and won nine team trophies: three Premier Leagues (2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09), one FA Cup (2003–04), two League Cups (2005–06, 2008–09), one FA Community Shield (2007), one UEFA Champions League (2007–08), and one FIFA Club World Cup (2008).
The departure to Real Madrid, 2009
In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid signed Ronaldo for a then-world-record fee of €94 million. Ferguson had promised Ronaldo the previous summer that he could leave after one more season, and the player had made no secret of his desire to play in Spain. The move was not a falling-out: Ferguson and Ronaldo remained close, and United used the fee to rebuild. For the full story of what followed, see our Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid guide.
Second spell: the return, 2021
Twelve years later, in August 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus, in a deal reported at around £12–15 million, after a dramatic few days in which a move to rivals Manchester City had looked possible. Ferguson's personal intervention is widely reported as decisive in steering Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, and the announcement generated enormous attention worldwide.
The return began like a fairytale. On his second debut, against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 11 September 2021, Ronaldo scored twice in a 4–1 win, and the stadium chanted his name as if the intervening twelve years had never happened. He finished the 2021–22 season as United's top scorer, and during that season he passed 800 career goals for club and country, in a match against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
But the team around him was struggling. United finished the 2021–22 season in sixth place in the Premier League, their lowest points total of the Premier League era at the time, and won no trophy. A new manager, Erik ten Hag, arrived in the summer of 2022, and Ronaldo's role shrank: he started fewer matches, was left out of key games, and was disciplined after leaving a match against Tottenham Hotspur before full time in October 2022.
Second spell: the departure, November 2022
The second spell ended in November 2022, before the World Cup in Qatar. After a television interview in which Ronaldo criticised the club, its owners, and Ten Hag, Manchester United announced that the two parties had mutually agreed to end his contract with immediate effect. Ronaldo's own statement said: "I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge."
The numbers of the second spell underline the contrast with the first. Across 2021–22 and the first months of 2022–23, Ronaldo scored 27 goals in 54 appearances in all competitions, and won no team trophy. He left as a free agent, and in January 2023 he signed for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, beginning the final chapter of his club career. For his full trophy record across all clubs, see our Cristiano Ronaldo trophies guide, and for his overall career, see our Cristiano Ronaldo profile.
The two spells side by side
| | First spell (2003–2009) | Second spell (2021–2022) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Appearances | 292 | 54 |
| Goals | 118 | 27 |
| Premier League titles | 3 | 0 |
| Champions League titles | 1 (2008) | 0 |
| Total team trophies | 9 | 0 |
| Ballon d'Or wins | 1 (2008) | 0 |
| How it ended | World-record sale to Real Madrid | Mutual contract termination |
The table explains why United supporters remember the two spells so differently. The first is the story of a player made at Old Trafford, the second is the story of a legend returning to a club that was no longer the one he left. Both are part of the same career, but only the first belongs in any list of great Manchester United eras.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Cristiano Ronaldo first join Manchester United?
Cristiano Ronaldo first joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in August 2003, at the age of 18, after impressing against United in a friendly in Lisbon.
How many trophies did Ronaldo win in his first spell at Manchester United?
Nine: three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one Community Shield, one Champions League, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
How many goals did Ronaldo score in his first spell at United?
118 goals in 292 appearances in all competitions, according to Manchester United's own summary published when he returned in 2021.
When did Ronaldo return to Manchester United?
He returned in August 2021 from Juventus, scored twice on his second debut against Newcastle United, and finished the 2021–22 season as United's top scorer.
Why did Ronaldo leave Manchester United the second time?
After a television interview in November 2022 in which he criticised the club, Manchester United and Ronaldo mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect. He then signed for Al Nassr in January 2023.
Did Ronaldo win a trophy in his second spell at Manchester United?
No. The second spell, from 2021 to 2022, added no team trophy, and United finished sixth in the Premier League in 2021–22.
