Lionel Messi isn’t the only soccer superstar to switch squads this summer.
Around three weeks after it was announced Messi would be leaving Barcelona FC for Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United revealed it has reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo back to the English club he played for from 2003-09, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and a medical examination.
The transfer fee for Ronaldo, who will sign a two-year contract with Man U, is reported to be approximately $29.5 million. The 36-year-old Portugal forward had one year left on his contract at Juventus.
“Today I depart from an amazing club, the biggest in Italy and surely one of the biggest in all of Europe,” Ronalod wrote on Instagram. “I gave my heart and soul for Juventus and I’ll always love the city of Turin until my final days. The ‘tifosi bianconeri’ always respected me and I tried to thank that respect by fighting for them in every game, every season, every competition. In the end, we can all look back and realize that we achieved great things, not all that we wanted, but still, we wrote a pretty beautiful story together.”
Over the course of his star-studded career, Ronaldo has won more than 30 major trophies including five UEFA Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy and the European Championship for his native Portugal.
A brief statement from United read: “Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games. Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester.”
Prior to Friday’s announcement, it was rumored Manchester City was considering making a play for Ronaldo after Harry Kane said he was staying at Tottenham on Wednesday.
“He is the greatest player of all time, if you ask me,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a former striker who played alongside Ronaldo for Manchester. “Such a tremendous human being as well … Everyone who’s played with him, I think, has a soft spot for him.”
United also signed England winger Jadon Sancho and France center back Raphael Varane for a combined cost of about $150 million. The prestigious club hasn’t won the Premier League since 2013.
Now, with an all-time great back on the roster, perhaps that streak will be broken.
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