how old was ronaldo when he went to manchester united
18
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at age 18 in 2003. After winning his first trophy, the FA Cup, during his first season in England, he helped United win three successive Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and a FIFA Club World Cup. By age 22, he had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations and at age 23, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2009, Ronaldo was the subject of the most expensive association football transfer when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94
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at age 18 in 2003. After winning his first trophy, the FA Cup, during his first season in England, he helped United win three successive Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and a FIFA Club World Cup. By age 22, he had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations and at age 23, he won his first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2009, Ronaldo was the subject of the most expensive association football transfer when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94
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the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match. Rashford was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, and is of Kittitian descent. Rashford began playing football for Fletcher Moss Rangers at the age of five and joined the academy system at Manchester United at the age of seven. Growing up his idol was Brazilian striker Ronaldo – the first game he saw was Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick for Real Madrid against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2003, a game when Ronaldo was given a standing ovation by both sets of fans when he left the field. Rashford states,
Marcus Rashford
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the Player of the Season award. Four of these players – Kevin Phillips, Henry, Ronaldo and Luis Suárez – went on to win the European Golden Shoe in the same season. 11 players have won the Premier League trophy with their respective clubs in the same year they received the award, with Ronaldo and Vidić each accomplishing the feat on two occasions with Manchester United. Ronaldo is the only player to be named Player of the Season and win the FIFA World Player of the Year; when he accomplished this in 2008, he became the first player from the Premier
Premier League Player of the Season
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in a game together when Manchester United were drawn to play Barcelona in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League semi-finals and were immediately pitted as major rivals. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the first leg, but United eventually advanced to the final via a Paul Scholes goal. At the end of the year, Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d'Or and vowed that he would win the award again. The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was contested between Manchester United and Barcelona on 27 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The match, described as a "dream clash", was again hyped
Messi–Ronaldo rivalry
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of the season against Athletic Bilbao, where Ronaldo scored to finish his first season with 23 league goals and seal La Liga title for 2003. He also won an Intercontinental Cup in 2002 and Spanish Super Cup in 2003, scoring in both finals. In the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford, knocking the English team out of the competition. Ronaldo was substituted on 80 minutes and was given a standing ovation from both sets of fans. Reflecting on the ovation given to him from the opposition's fans, Ronaldo
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his first-half header went wide of Łukasz Fabiański's post. The Reds had a well-worked Park Ji-sung goal disallowed for an incorrect offside later in the second half. Park had slotted the ball into an empty net after playing a one-two with Cristiano Ronaldo, but Ronaldo was judged to have been ahead of the last defender when Park played the ball through. When the final whistle blew, the United players, manager and backroom staff celebrated jubilantly, having been crowned champions of England for the 18th time. United's final game of the Premier League, played on 24 May, was away to Hull.
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of Park Ji-sung, who did not even make the substitutes bench despite starting both legs of the semi-final. Cristiano Ronaldo started on the left wing, where he was pitted against makeshift Chelsea right-back Michael Essien. This went against the prediction of "The Guardian"s David Pleat, who thought a duel between Ronaldo and Ashley Cole would be key to the final. Ferguson hoped his substitutes might have a big impact on the match, just as Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær did in 1999, when the pair came off the bench to help Manchester United come from behind and beat Bayern
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new diet and fitness regime. Tottenham's league form began to improve and Tottenham's progress in the League Cup began with a 2–0 win over Manchester City which ended City's unbeaten home record. On 27 January 2008, Spurs went out of the FA Cup fourth round to a 3–1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Tottenham took the lead through Robbie Keane but eventually lost to United to a goal from Carlos Tevez and two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, one of which was a penalty where Michael Dawson was sent off for a deliberate handball. Tottenham's run
2007–08 Tottenham Hotspur F.C. season
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however, the Manchester United players urged Ferguson to sign him. After the game, Ferguson agreed to pay Sporting £12.24 million for what he considered to be "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen. A decade after his departure from the club, in April 2013, Sporting honoured Ronaldo by selecting him to become their 100,000th member. Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed before the 2003–04 season. His transfer fee of £12.24 million made him, at the time, the most expensive teenager in English football history. Although he requested the number 28, his number
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physical midfield. Wenger's tactics worked, as the Arsenal defence withstood the pressure from the Manchester United attack. United themselves were without Paul Scholes due to injury, and they played a 4–3–2–1 formation with Phil Neville, Roy Keane and Quinton Fortune completing a defensively minded midfield. When Cristiano Ronaldo was fouled on the right wing 40 yards from goal in the 13th minute, Ryan Giggs was presented with the first chance of the match; although intended as a cross, Giggs' free-kick hit the outside of the post. Another foul on Ronaldo gave Giggs another chance to apply pressure with a crossed
Battle of Old Trafford
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'title ambitions were dealt a severe blow' as Middlesbrough won the match 2–0. Sunderland was the opposition at Anfield in a midweek match. Goals from N'Gog and Benayoun secured a 2–0 victory for Liverpool. Following the resumption of club football after the international break, Liverpool travelled to Old Trafford to face league leaders Manchester United. Liverpool were trailing United by seven points, who had a game in hand, as they went into the match. Liverpool went behind to a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, before Gerrard and Torres scored to give them a 2–1 lead at half-time. Further goals from Aurelio and
2008–09 Liverpool F.C. season
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at the top of the Premier League scoring table, while United welcomed Park Ji-sung back to the team following a nine-month lay-off with cruciate ligament damage. With Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick unavailable due to a viral infection, Carlos Tevez was given the opportunity to start the game on his return to his old club, West Ham United, on 29 December. United took the lead on 14 minutes thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo header. Ronaldo had a chance to double the lead with a penalty in the 66th minute, but he blasted the free shot wide of the goal. West
2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
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in doing so, he allowed Ronaldo to steal in and head the ball past Marshall, to give United a 1–0 lead going into the break. Manchester United went 2–0 up 20 minutes into the second half, when Ryan Giggs went on a run down the right wing into the Millwall box only to be brought down by David Livermore. Referee Jeff Winter awarded a penalty for the foul and Ruud van Nistelrooy scored with a powerful shot into the top-corner to the goalkeeper's right. United now held a comfortable advantage and Millwall struggled to find a way back into the
2004 FA Cup Final
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violent conduct. Real Madrid also failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to Barcelona. In the first knockout round of the Champions League, Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time. After scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, he scored the match-winning goal in a 2–1 victory at Old Trafford, his first return to his former home ground. He did not celebrate scoring against his former club as a mark of respect. Ronaldo scored three goals in Madrid's 5–3 aggregate victory over Galatasaray to see them advance to the
Cristiano Ronaldo
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players. The party was spoiled the following day when United endured a single-goal defeat at the hands of Southend United in the fourth round of the League Cup. On 1 December, however, it was announced that Manchester United had signed 35-year-old Henrik Larsson on loan, a player that Ferguson had admired for many years, and attempted to capture previously. On 23 December 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the club's 2,000th goal under the helm of Ferguson in a match against Aston Villa. Manchester United subsequently won their ninth Premier League title but were denied a unique fourth double by Chelsea's Didier
Alex Ferguson
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United had spent a prolonged spell inside the West Ham box, before crossing for Ronaldo who scored with a left-footed shot to the far post. Ronaldo doubled his tally 15 minutes later, although he would have found it more difficult to miss the target after Berbatov got past James Collins with a wonderful piece of skill on the goal line. United continued to threaten Robert Green in the West Ham goal, but they did not add to their tally. United went into their 1 November match at home to Premier League newcomers Hull City two points behind their visitors in
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Sheffield Wednesday won the game, but Anderson had been unable to play as he had appeared - and scored - in a second round tie for Manchester United six months before. In another instance, Ronaldo bought out his contract with Real Madrid to move to Milan; he was cup-tied to Madrid in the Champions League, which decreased his value to Milan. Milan went on to win the tournament, but Ronaldo was not allowed to play in any of their games. Andrei Arshavin was cup-tied in the Champions League after moving to Arsenal during the January 2009 transfer window, having earlier
Cup-tied
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head wants to go on but the body can't take any more. I think of an action but I can't do it the way I want to. It's time to go." Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil on 23 March 1994, in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina. He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States as a 17-year-old, but did not play. He stated he was “overjoyed” at the experience. He was then known as Ronaldinho ("little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), because Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus, his older teammate on the tournament, was also
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its way across the penalty area to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese could only head the ball straight at Lehmann. Manchester United brought Giggs on at the start of extra time, the Welshman taking Fletcher's place in the midfield. They immediately tried to play him in down the left wing, but the pass was over-hit and went beyond Giggs. Arsenal finally got their first shot on target in the seventh minute of extra time, when a Van Persie free kick – awarded for a foul by Silvestre – forced a diving save from Carroll. Four minutes later, Manchester United appealed for
2005 FA Cup Final
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to a Premiership campaign came to an end, however, with the visit of Arsenal to Old Trafford. The Red Devils survived an early scare when new goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak saved a penalty he had given away when he brought down Emmanuel Adebayor, but Adebayor made amends for Gilberto's missed spot-kick by scoring the winning goal four minutes from time, and knocking United from the Premiership top spot for the first time in the season. This minor slump in form continued against Reading the following weekend, United requiring a 73rd-minute equaliser from Cristiano Ronaldo to salvage a 1–1 draw. However, the
2006–07 Manchester United F.C. season
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unleashed a shot from outside the edge of the box that rocketed past Adam Federici into the net to give United a first-half lead. Cristiano Ronaldo had three shots on goal in the opening minutes of the second half, but all of them went wide. Brynjar Gunnarsson scored against the run of play in the 67th minute to equalise for Reading, when he powered a header past Tomasz Kuszczak. Coppell's side managed to hold United to a draw and salvage a replay. The replay against Reading was played on 27 February. Three goals in the first six minutes gave United
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minutes before Ronaldo scored when Nigel Martyn parried Paul Scholes' free-kick. Marcus Bent missed Everton's best chance when Roy Carroll, who was later struck by a missile, saved at his feet. Manchester United marched into the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 4–0 away win against Southampton. Roy Keane put holders United on course for victory over Southampton after two minutes, and goals either side of the interval confirmed their supremacy. Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of good work by Wayne Rooney to score the second in first-half injury time. Paul Scholes added a third from 12 yards in the
2004–05 Manchester United F.C. season
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Middlesbrough. Midway through the season, in November, he signed a new contract which extended his previous deal by two years to 2010. Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football, the Football League Cup, after scoring the third goal in United's 4–0 final victory over Wigan Athletic. During his third season in England, Ronaldo was involved in several incidents. He had a one-match ban imposed on him by UEFA for a "one-fingered gesture" towards Benfica fans, and was sent off in the Manchester derby—a 3–1 defeat—for kicking Manchester City's former United player Andy Cole. Ronaldo clashed with a teammate, striker
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Owen gave them a 2–0 win. On 14 March 2009, the two sides met at Old Trafford in the Premier League. United were ahead at the top of the league and Liverpool were looking to make a late run to the title which had eluded them since 1990. United went ahead in the 23rd minute with a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, but Fernando Torres equalised five minutes later for Liverpool, and a Steven Gerrard penalty just before half-time put Liverpool in the lead. United had Nemanja Vidić sent off in the 76th minute, and their misery was swiftly compounded by late
Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry
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Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo (2). United sealed their place in the knockout stage with a 4–0 win in the return game against Dynamo Kyiv, with goals from Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Gerard Piqué got his first ever senior goal for the club. The team went into the next game against Sporting knowing that a win would secure top spot for them. However, they went 1–0 down after just 21 minutes through an unexpected goal from Abel Ferreira. It took United another 40 minutes to get an equaliser, as Carlos Tevez scored a scrappy goal
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Ronaldo made a break into the Barça penalty area, only to be bodychecked by Rafael Márquez, who made no attempt to get to the ball. Rightfully expecting another penalty to be awarded, the look of dismay on Ronaldo's face was justified when he saw referee Massimo Busacca wave play on. Márquez fouled Ronaldo again just before half time, this time about 25 yards from goal. Márquez was shown a yellow card for his trouble, which meant he was ineligible for the second leg on 29 April, but Ronaldo saw his resulting free kick go just a yard wide of the
2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
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behind leaders Arsenal at the beginning of March, when they also lost the League Cup final to Liverpool. Soon afterwards, David Beckham was sold to Real Madrid for £25 million, following arguments with Ferguson. Before the start of the season, a highly rated 18-year-old Portuguese winger called Cristiano Ronaldo arrived from Sporting CP for £12.24 million. All eyes that summer, however, were on a Chelsea side who had been taken over by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and had spent more than £100 million on new players. In the 2003–04 season, Manchester United won the FA Cup for the 11th time
History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–2013)
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sent-off in injury time for a reckless lunge on Ronaldo. United won the game 1–0 to send them through to the last four. United booked a ticket in the FA Cup Final with a 4–1 win over Watford. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring when he fired home an excellent 20-yard drive after just six minutes, but Watford equalised through Hameur Bouazza's overhead kick in the 26th minute. United restored their lead two minutes later when Cristiano Ronaldo bundled in Rooney's cross, and Rooney wrapped up the win with a close finish after 66 minutes. Substitute Kieran Richardson chipped in a
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Blackburn Rovers against Charlton Athletic on 21 February 2004. In those two cases, the teams they played for lost. Robinson became the first keeper to score for the winning team in a Premiership match. This season's awards were dominated by Manchester United, who, as a team, picked up a total of eight individual awards, five of which went to Cristiano Ronaldo. They also had eight players in the Team of the Year. The PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2007 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo. He had won the PFA Young Player of the Year award earlier on
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in all competitions, 16 goals fewer than the previous season, in four more appearances. His final ever goal for Manchester United came on 10 May 2009 with a free kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee at the time, of £80 million (€94 million). His contract, which ran until 2015, was worth €11 million per year and contained a €1 billion buy-out clause. At least 80,000 fans attended his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu, surpassing the 25-year record of 75,000 fans who had welcomed
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work permit application to allow Colombian international Hugo Rodallega to join Wigan from Mexican side Club Necaxa. On 14 January, Wigan travelled to Old Trafford to face reigning champions Manchester United in a rescheduled game. Wigan were caught cold in the opening minute of the game when Cristiano Ronaldo broke away down the right flank and crossed for Wayne Rooney to score. Despite heavy pressure from Manchester United in the first half, Wigan's defence remained strong and the second half saw Wigan dominate the champions and have a penalty claim harshly denied by referee Steve Bennett, but Wigan could not
2008–09 Wigan Athletic F.C. season
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summer, Cristiano Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid for a world record £80 million. In 2010, Manchester United defeated Aston Villa 2–1 at Wembley to retain the League Cup, their first successful defence of a knockout cup competition. Alex Ferguson joined Manchester United from Aberdeen on 6 November 1986, the same day that previous manager Ron Atkinson was dismissed, and immediately set about rebuilding the club's youth system. In Ferguson's first game in charge, the team lost 2–0 to Oxford United; his first victory came on 22 November 1986, a 1–0 defeat of Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford. Over
History of Manchester United F.C. (1986–2013)
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Keane, but the incident escalated away from the two of them. In defence of their teammate, Manchester United players Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, Mikaël Silvestre, Quinton Fortune and Rio Ferdinand also became involved in the situation. In the post-match interviews, Van Nistelrooy was accused by both Vieira and Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, of feigning contact to get Vieira sent off, while United manager Alex Ferguson defended his player and denied he had dived. As a result of these reactions, six Arsenal players, two Manchester United players and Arsenal Football Club itself were charged with improper conduct by The
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game, though, did not come until after half-time, as Wayne Rooney, who had not scored at Old Trafford since October, bagged a brace. Ronaldo supplied the first, back-heeling the ball to the England striker, who rounded Carson before passing the ball into the net. Ronaldo then provided the assist for Rooney's second, nutmegging an Aston Villa defender to play Rooney in. Heartened by his first goal in six games, Rooney finished the move with a cool shot, beating Carson on his near post. Rooney almost made it a hat-trick a few minutes later, but he was deemed to be marginally
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ovation when he came on as a 60th-minute substitute for Nicky Butt. His performance earned praise from George Best, who hailed it as "undoubtedly the most exciting debut" he had ever seen. Ronaldo scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free-kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November. Three other league goals followed in the second half of the campaign, the last of which came against Aston Villa on the final day of the season, a match in which he also received his first red card. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring
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corner of the net, his first career goal against Chelsea. However, he appeared to have injured himself during his celebration and was soon substituted, making way for Cristiano Ronaldo. The game went quiet for the last 20 minutes, until a Michael Essien cross was handled by Michael Carrick just inside the United penalty area with four minutes left to play. Referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot, and Ballack stepped up to convert and give Chelsea the win. United went all out for a much needed equaliser, but the closest they came were two shots blocked on the line by
2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
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had a goal ruled out for unintentional use of the arm, before breaking into the box only for his square ball to Ronaldo to be wasted by the Portuguese international. Berbatov put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute when he acrobatically volleyed Ronaldo's right wing cross into the goal. A home win over fellow Britons Celtic followed on 21 October, all but securing United's progression to the knockout phase of the competition. Celtic were the first to threaten either goal, Aiden McGeady's 20-yard strike being stopped low by Edwin van der Sar after 11 minutes, but United went
2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season
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had no hesitation in sending the Ivorian international off. Despite the man advantage, United were unable to find a winner and the match went to penalties. Both teams converted their first two penalties, but then the most unlikely of players missed his – Cristiano Ronaldo, who stepped up with his usual self-confidence, could only stare on as Petr Čech saved his shot. Just when the match looked lost, John Terry stepped up for the Blues, only for his standing foot to give way as he struck his shot and the ball hit the post. This took the match to sudden
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Benjani scored for City in the 24th and 45th minutes respectively, and Michael Carrick scored a consolation goal for United in the 90th minute. It was the first time since April 1974 that City had beaten United in the league at Old Trafford and the first time they had won both league derby games since the 1969–70 season. United prevented City from winning a third consecutive derby match in the first derby of the 2008–09 season, Wayne Rooney scoring the game's only goal. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off in the same game for a bizarre handball. Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez
Manchester derby
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and Chris Eagles sealed the win. The result means United moved two points further away from Chelsea, who were held by Bolton 2-2, with three games to play. Manchester United moved to within touching distance of the Premiership title after Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty gave them victory at Manchester City in United's first match in May. Ronaldo scored in the 34th minute after he was fouled by Michael Ball, who had earlier stamped viciously on him. City wasted their best chance when goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar saved Darius Vassell's penalty 11 minutes from time after Wes Brown fouled Ball. The
2006–07 Manchester United F.C. season
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Ronaldo Wilkins Ronaldo Wilkins (born 30 December 1999) is a ni-Vanuatu footballer who plays as a midfielder for Erakor Golden Star in the Port Vila Football League and the Vanuatu national football team. Wilkins grew up in Tagabe, an area in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. When he was 6 years old he start playing at Wan Smol Bag Futsal. After a few years he moved to New Caledonia when he joined the Zimako Football Academy. After a few years he returned to Vanuatu to start his senior career with Shepherds United. After he had played at the 2014
Ronaldo Wilkins
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national team after a year out. Against Arsenal, Saha came on to replace the under-performing Carlos Tevez in a 2–2 draw. He was key in setting up a goal as Cristiano Ronaldo gave United a 2–1 lead. Saha continued to make appearances off the bench, but when Wayne Rooney was ruled out for a few weeks he partnered Tevez up front. He started on 26 December, Boxing Day. Manchester United won the game 4–0 and Saha scored two goals including a penalty to lift Manchester United to 1st position in the Premiership. Saha made his return in an FA Cup
Louis Saha
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through the youth system at Watford, Eagles left when he was 14 to join the Manchester United academy. The compensation owed to Watford for this move would later form part of the package which took Danny Webber in the opposite direction. Eagles made his first-team debut for Manchester United on 28 October 2003 as a second-half substitute for Kieran Richardson in an extra-time win away to Leeds United in the League Cup. He played once more that season, this time as a substitute for Cristiano Ronaldo as United lost 2–0 away to West Bromwich Albion in the Fourth Round of
Chris Eagles
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second a minute after half-time, but then handled Rio Ferdinand's header in the 66th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo converted the subsequent penalty to hand United a replay. The replay against Middlesbrough was played on 19 March. The game was at a 0–0 stalemate until the 76th minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo once again converted from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded when the winger was chopped down by behind from Jonathan Woodgate. The impressive Mark Schwarzer had twice thwarted Wayne Rooney when the striker had been put clean through with Boro on the back foot throughout. Boro substitute James Morrison was
2006–07 Manchester United F.C. season
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of minutes left in the extra period, Manchester United won a free kick on the left corner of the Arsenal penalty area when Vieira lazily tripped Ronaldo and received a booking, but Giggs' cross from the free kick was headed away. Meanwhile, Manchester United's substitute goalkeeper, Howard, was seen warming up behind the goal, suggesting that he was preparing to come on for Carroll in the event of a penalty shootout; however, no substitution was made. The referee added two minutes of injury time at the end of extra time, during which time Manchester United won another free kick, but
2005 FA Cup Final
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preferred position is centre back, although he can also play as a left back, left midfielder or centre forward. Charles was born in Ealing, London. His footballing hero when growing up was Ronaldo, and this was because he could "change any game with one bit of genius". He supports Manchester United, and states that the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich was the best match he has ever watched. Charles' former partner was pregnant as of July 2009. Stevenage AFC Wimbledon Individual Darius Charles Wesley Darius Donald Charles (born 10 December 1987) is an English
Darius Charles
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quick goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Saha set up an easy win. Ronaldo scored from the spot in the 12th minute after he was fouled by Diomansy Kamara, and Giuseppe Rossi set up Saha four minutes later. John O'Shea added a fine third after 56 minutes before Nathan Ellington pulled a goal back for West Brom late on. The draw for the fifth round of the League Cup took place on 3 December 2005, and Manchester United were given an away fixture with fellow Premier League side Birmingham City. The match was played on 20 December, and United won
2005–06 Manchester United F.C. season
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Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Aston Villa) Attack: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Fernando Torres (Liverpool) The PFA Young Player of the Year award was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal. The shortlist for the award was as follows: The FWA Footballer of the Year award for 2008 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo for a second successive season. The Manchester United winger saw off the challenges of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, who finished second and third respectively. Cristiano Ronaldo was named the winner of the Premier League Golden Boot award.
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has revealed that he studied the way Ronaldo took his penalties. Neuer told Bild, "I always prepare myself for such situations. Our goalkeeping coach, Toni Tapalovic, showed me on his laptop before the match how Ronaldo usually takes his penalties. I learned that Ronaldo prefers to send the ball low to his left. In the penalty shoot-out, I was convinced that he would aim for his favourite spot." Bayern went on to progress to the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea, which also went to a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. He took and scored the third penalty
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three goals in seven minutes to ensure United ended the season with a trophy. As a result of finishing third in the 2004–05 FA Premier League, Manchester United entered the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round, where they were paired with Hungarian champions Debrecen. The first leg was played on 9 August 2005 at Old Trafford, and United won 3–0. Wayne Rooney fired home a shot on the seven minutes to give United the lead, and then set up second-half goals for Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both finished in style. For the return leg
2005–06 Manchester United F.C. season
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Wayne Rooney threaded a pass through the Boro defence to find Park superbly. Park then settled the game with a decisive strike low into the bottom corner. It was derby day next up for United as Manchester City made the short trip to Old Trafford. Again, Liverpool were top of the table on goal difference with United having two games in hand. The match was slow and had few shots on target from either side, although United ran out 2–0 winners, with both goals coming in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo got United's first with a deflected free kick after
2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season
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ahead on the half-hour via a contentious goal from Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian had appeared to be in an offside position when John O'Shea prodded Nani's corner through to him, but it was not spotted by either the referee or his assistant. There were similar complaints about Berbatov's second goal six minutes after half-time, but again they went unheeded. Berbatov had been standing in an offside position when Ronaldo struck a long-range free kick, and after Artur Boruc was only able to palm it into the middle of the goal area, United's £30 million man was on hand to put
2008–09 Manchester United F.C. season
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Milik began dating professional Polish model Jessica Ziółek. Milik features on the cover of the Polish version of "FIFA 16" alongside global cover star Lionel Messi. Milik is a devoted fan of Manchester United. Milik says he "dreams of playing for Manchester United", but insists he's "far from it". Milik's childhood football hero is Cristiano Ronaldo; in an interview during Euro 2016, he said he followed Ronaldo closely and had been inspired by the Portuguese striker. Arkadiusz Milik Arkadiusz Krystian "Arek" Milik (; born 28 February 1994) is a Polish footballer who plays as a striker for Italian club Napoli
Arkadiusz Milik
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latter award. In the knockout stage of the Champions League, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal against Lyon, which helped United advance to the quarter-finals 2–1 on aggregate, and, while playing as a striker, scored with a header in the 3–0 aggregate victory over Roma. United advanced to the final against Chelsea in Moscow, where, despite his opening goal being negated by an equaliser and his penalty being saved in the shoot-out, Manchester United emerged victorious. As the Champions League top scorer, Ronaldo was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. He additionally received the PFA Players' Player of the
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was brought down in the penalty area by Pepe Reina and referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot, where Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty kick to Reina's right. The lead only lasted five minutes, however, as Nemanja Vidić failed to deal with a long ball from Liverpool's Martin Škrtel and Fernando Torres punished his error with a cool finish past United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The match went from bad to worse for the hosts just before the break when Patrice Evra tripped Steven Gerrard in the penalty area and Gerrard scored the resulting spot kick. After the break,
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the game and Aaron Lennon brought another good save from Foster just a few minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo was harshly booked for diving in the penalty area. A shot, three minutes into stoppage time from Ronaldo then smashed off the inside of the post, but came out and the game ended 0–0. Extra time was a more quiet affair with few really good chances, although Darren Bent brought yet another good save from Foster and Patrice Evra shot narrowly over with a couple of minutes to go. However, extra time also ended 0–0 and the game went to penalties –
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an early lead, from a free-kick, but as the match went on, Arsenal began to dominate possession, eventually rewarded when Fábregas equalised in the 80th minute, from a Hleb through ball. November began with a home match against Manchester United. Going into the match, both clubs were level on points and goal difference, at the top of the league. In the 45th minute, Gallas inadvertently scored an own goal to give United the lead, before Fábregas equalised early in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo scored what was thought to be the winning goal, eight minutes from the end, but Arsenal
2007–08 Arsenal F.C. season
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only the third player to receive consecutive honours. At the quarter-final stage of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo scored his first-ever goals in the competition, finding the net twice in a 7–1 victory over Roma. He subsequently scored four minutes into the first semi-final leg against Milan, which ended in a 3–2 win, but was marked out of the second leg as United lost 3–0 at the San Siro. He also helped United reach the FA Cup final, but the decisive match against Chelsea ended in a 1–0 defeat. Ronaldo scored the only goal in the Manchester derby on
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Luís Figo made a controversial £37 million move from Barcelona to fierce rivals Real Madrid. From that time through the 2015–16 season, Real Madrid held the record, with the next players to subsequently break the record being Zinedine Zidane in 2001 when he signed for £46 million from Juventus, Kaká from Milan for just under £60 million in 2009, and £80 million transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in the same year, lastly being Gareth Bale in 2013, who became the first player to cost €100 million when he transferred from Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United claimed the record in
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protests, referee Howard Webb pointed to the spot. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and dispatched the penalty down the centre of the goal. Ten minutes later, Wayne Rooney equalised in a less debatable fashion, hitting in a shot at Gomes' near post after Dimitar Berbatov and Rafael had combined well. Only one minute after equalising, United were ahead. Rooney created some space down the left wing and crossed the ball in to find Ronaldo's diving header. The comeback looked to be complete three minutes later when United went 4–2 up, with Rooney's shot only just crossing the line despite Jonathan Woodgate
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Nani for going in with his foot at chest height in the 56th minute. Cristiano Ronaldo scored against his former club in both ties. 2012–13 Manchester United F.C. season The 2012–13 season was Manchester United's 21st season in the Premier League, and their 38th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. United's season began on 20 August 2012 with the first game of the Premier League campaign. After narrowly missing out on goal difference the previous season, they won an unprecedented 20th English top-flight title on 22 April 2013 with a win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford,
2012–13 Manchester United F.C. season
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chances to score and his frustration eventually showed when he was booked for a rash tackle on Carles Puyol. In a 2015 interview, Ronaldo commented on the rivalry by saying that "I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high" while Ronaldo's manager during his time at Manchester United Alex Ferguson opined that "I don't think the rivalry against each other bothers them. I think they have their own personal pride in terms of wanting to be the best". Messi has denied any rivalry, and blames the media for creating it:
Messi–Ronaldo rivalry
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Diego Maradona at Napoli. Since club captain Raúl already wore the number 7, the number Ronaldo wore at Manchester United, Ronaldo received the number 9 shirt, which was presented to him by former Madrid player Alfredo Di Stéfano. Ronaldo made his debut in La Liga on 29 August 2009, against Deportivo La Coruña, and scored from the penalty spot in Madrid's 3–2 home win. He scored in each of his first four league fixtures with the club, the first Madrid player to do so. His first Champions League goals for the club followed with two free kicks in the first
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his first goal and volleyed it for his second. Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren credited Rooney's performance afterwards and said he made the difference in the tie. Everton hosted Manchester United in the next round at Goodison Park. A goal apiece from Quinton Fortune and Ronaldo in either half ensured a 2–0 win. Southampton was Manchester United's opponent in the sixth round. After two minutes at St Mary's United took the lead; a shot by Roy Keane near the penalty area hit Southampton's Peter Crouch and deflected into the goal. Ronaldo scored United's second and additional goals from Scholes meant they
2005 FA Cup Final
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Carlos Tevez, but the Argentine was quickly closed down by Diego López and the chance was missed. The last two decent chances of the game fell to United; first to Ronaldo, who headed just wide from Nani's left-wing cross, and then to Jonny Evans, who headed against the foot of the post after Ronaldo crossed in from the right. United got their first win of the Champions League season on 30 September 2008, when they visited Aalborg BK. The Red Devils were soon on the attack and Dimitar Berbatov could have got his name on the scoresheet after just six
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went on to establish his credentials as a key player and exceptional form saw him become the first player from the Ukrainian Premier League to represent the Brazil national team, when he was called up for the Brazil–Norway game on 16 August 2006. On 2 August 2007, Manchester City paid £8 million for Elano, who signed a four-year contract. He made his debut on the opening day of the season against West Ham United, providing the cross for the opening goal. He played in his first Manchester derby against Manchester United on 19 August 2007. Elano also revealed how he
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the hot topic before the game, it was the United attack that did most of the talking during the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo tested Inter goalkeeper Júlio César with a free kick before forcing the Brazilian into a save from a powerful header in the opening few minutes. United continued to press throughout the half, and Ryan Giggs nearly opened the scoring midway through, but he could only hit the ball straight at Júlio César after a sublime turn away from Nelson Rivas. Inter themselves went close shortly before half-time, but Adriano was unable to beat Edwin van der Sar
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side's goal early on but Pompey survived and hit back after the break. David Unsworth put them ahead from the spot after Rio Ferdinand tugged back Ricardo Fuller in the area. Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post with a header as United piled on the pressure but Yakubu finished them off when his shot deflected in off Mikaël Silvestre. It was Pompey's second successive Premiership victory over United at Fratton Park - but it looked unlikely in the early stages. Manchester United played at home to their rivals Manchester City on 7 November 2004. The game ended 0–0. United were shut
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season. The following game pitted United against Portsmouth at Old Trafford. With Arsenal having beaten Newcastle 3–0 the previous day, the onus was on United to pick up a win and go back to the top of the table. They started well, going 2–0 up within the first 15 minutes, but, despite what Sir Alex Ferguson claimed was one of the best performances of the season, they were unable to score again, and the game finished 2–0. Both goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, who added the brace to the two he scored against Tottenham in the FA Cup the
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were eliminated following a 2–1 defeat to Uruguay in the last 16. A versatile attacker, Ronaldo is capable of playing on either wing as well as through the centre of the pitch, and, while ostensibly right-footed, is very strong with both feet. He ranks among the world's fastest footballers, both with and without the ball. Tactically, Ronaldo has undergone several evolutions throughout his career. While at Sporting and during his first season at Manchester United, he was typically deployed as a traditional winger on the right side of midfield, where he regularly looked to deliver crosses into the penalty area.
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Nacional. In 2012, Ronaldo and his agent paid for specialist treatment for a nine-year-old Canarian boy with apparently terminal cancer. In November 2012, Ronaldo sold the golden boot he had won in 2011 for €1.5 million and gave the money to fund schools for children in Gaza. In December 2012, Ronaldo joined FIFA's "11 for Health" programme to raise awareness amongst kids of how to steer clear of conditions including drug addiction, HIV, malaria and obesity. In January 2013, Ronaldo became Save the Children's new Global Artist Ambassador, in which he hopes to help fight child hunger and obesity. In
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A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (405), the UEFA Champions League (121), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 680 senior career goals for club and country. Born and raised on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart at age 15. He underwent an operation to treat his condition, and began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United
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miss from Tim Cahill, Everton ran out 4–2 winners on penalties and United's quest for five trophies was at an end. The draw for the Third Round of the 2008–09 League Cup paired Manchester United with Middlesbrough. The match was played at Old Trafford on 23 September 2008, and resulted in a 3–1 win for the home side, who gave debuts to three young players;Ben Amos, Danny Welbeck and Manucho. In his first start for the club since returning from injury, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 25th minute, heading home Ryan Giggs' corner. Adam Johnson equalised for Middlesbrough
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broken hand, in favor of Diego López, who had been in fine form in the domestic and European campaign during Casillas' absence. In the Champions League, Real Madrid defeated Manchester United, drawing the first leg at the Bernabeu 1–1, then a come-from-behind 2–1 win at Old Trafford (which was marred by controversy over a red card being issued to Manchester United player Nani), with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in both legs. The team reached their third-straight Champions League semi-finals, though Borussia Dortmund beat Real in the first leg 4–1 with Robert Lewandowski scoring four goals, leading Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp to
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Koumas shot appeared to deflect off Rio Ferdinand's outstretched upper arm. Wigan's anguish was then compounded when referee Steve Bennett awarded United a penalty for Emmerson Boyce's foul on Wayne Rooney. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty, which he converted, equalling Alan Shearer's record for the most goals in a 38-game season with 31 goals. Soon after, Scholes was fortunate not to be sent off when he cynically brought down Wilson Palacios. Steve Bennett chose to keep his cards in his pocket. In the second half, United continued to test the Wigan goal, but goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was
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of the two preceding seasons, but didn't even feature in the top three for the 2006–07 season. The shortlist for the award was as follows: Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United) Defence: Gary Neville, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić (all Manchester United) Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo (all Manchester United) Attack: Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur) The PFA Merit Award was awarded to Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, for his commitment to the club, the Premiership, and as recognition of the nineteen major trophies he has won in his
2006–07 FA Premier League
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Wigan opened the scoring after an hour through Paul Scharner's tap-in. United equalised when shock substitute Ruud van Nistelrooy's mis-hit shot set up teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Then at the death, Louis Saha's deflected shot hit the bar and ricocheted into the net off Pascal Chimbonda. United's next game was a home game against Newcastle United. Wayne Rooney scored a brace as United won 2–0. Rooney's first goal came when he intercepted Peter Ramage's backpass to delicately chip over a helpless Shay Given in the eighth minute. Four minutes later he held off Ramage to slot home from John O'Shea's pass.
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about alongside Pelé and Diego Maradona once retiring. Ronaldo has at times, however, been criticised for simulating when tackled. In addition to this, he was also occasionally criticised early in his career by manager Alex Ferguson, teammates and the media for being a selfish or overly flamboyant player. During his career, Ronaldo has also been described as having an "arrogant image" on the pitch, with Ronaldo stating that he had become a "victim", because of how he was portrayed in the media. He is often seen moaning, gesticulating and scowling while trying to inspire his team to victory, with Ronaldo
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scored a total of 42 goals in all competitions during the 2007–08 season, his most prolific campaign during his time in England. He missed three matches after headbutting a Portsmouth player at the start of the season, an experience he said taught him not to let opponents provoke him. At the end of 2007, Ronaldo was named runner-up to Kaká for the Ballon d'Or, and came third, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi, in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Ronaldo scored his first and only hat-trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle
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of the semi-final was played against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Manchester scored early on a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, but Milan answered back through a brace from Kaká, ensuring a 1–2 lead at half-time. United would ultimately prove victorious, however, due to two second-half goals from striker Wayne Rooney. This match was regarded by the media and UEFA President Michel Platini as the greatest match in recent memories. The second leg of the semi-final was played at San Siro on 2 May, where Milan played a near-perfect first-half, taking a 2–0 lead into the break with goals from Kaká
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Nations, but ultimately was not called. Fábio Paím Fábio Miguel Malheiro Paím (born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Leixões S.C. B as a winger. After starting out at Sporting, he went on to play for a host of clubs in a variety of countries, without settling anywhere. Born in Estoril, Paím was once regarded as the most promising young player in Portugal by Cristiano Ronaldo, who said upon arriving at Manchester United: "If you think I'm good, just wait until you see Fábio Paím". He joined Sporting Clube de Portugal's youth system at the
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legs of Júlio César. Finally, in the dying seconds of the game, Ronaldo was felled by Córdoba on the edge of the area, well within his striking range; he stepped up to take the resulting free kick himself, but it was easily saved by Júlio César, and the match finished as a goalless draw. The second leg was a tight affair at Old Trafford with United knowing conceding an away goal could prove costly and Inter knowing that a score-draw would be enough to send them through. Sir Alex Ferguson had won only 1 of the previous 13 meetings against
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the penalty area to Nani, who cut back inside and curled a shot past Stephen Bywater for the opening goal. United doubled their lead shortly before half-time, when they were awarded a free kick within the shooting range of Cristiano Ronaldo; the United winger crashed the free kick into the defensive wall, and the ball ricocheted to Darron Gibson – who had broken from the wall – and the Irish international fired a low shot into the bottom corner of the net. The scoring continued after the break, Ronaldo heading home Ryan Giggs' right-sided corner kick three minutes into the
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idea of obtaining Ronaldo came from sporting director Fabio Paratici, as per Pavel Nedvěd. Pérez would comment on the situation on 21 September, stating: "Nobody [was willing to] give more than €100 million. He wanted to go and the most [we could obtain would] be that amount. We have not had many more offers." Moreover, Manchester United manager José Mourinho argued at a press conference in early September that Ronaldo was "never on [his] table to say 'yes' or 'no'" to, while Massimiliano Mirabelli and Marco Fassone, Milan's former director of football and former managing director respectively, admitted in November
Transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid C.F. to Juventus F.C.
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been broken. On 24 February, Giggs scored the equalising goal against Fulham in a game which United went on to win via a late Cristiano Ronaldo winner to go nine points clear of Chelsea. On 6 May 2007, with Chelsea only able to manage a 1–1 draw with London rivals Arsenal, Manchester United became the champions of England. In doing so, Giggs set a new record of nine league titles, beating the previous record of eight he shared with Alan Hansen and Phil Neal (who won all of their titles with Liverpool). In the 2007 FA Cup Final, Giggs had
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Fábio Paím Fábio Miguel Malheiro Paím (born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Leixões S.C. B as a winger. After starting out at Sporting, he went on to play for a host of clubs in a variety of countries, without settling anywhere. Born in Estoril, Paím was once regarded as the most promising young player in Portugal by Cristiano Ronaldo, who said upon arriving at Manchester United: "If you think I'm good, just wait until you see Fábio Paím". He joined Sporting Clube de Portugal's youth system at the age of 9, before making his
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team together between 1992 and 2011 and Cristiano Ronaldo–Wayne Rooney–Carlos Tevez, who played together at United when the team won the Premier League and reached the UEFA Champions League Final in two successive seasons between 2007 and 2009. The Trinity featured in the design of Manchester United's 2017–18 third shirt. United Trinity In association football, the United Trinity or the Holy Trinity refers to the Manchester United trio of George Best, Denis Law, and Sir Bobby Charlton, who helped United become the first ever English club team to win the European Cup in 1968. Charlton was a member of the
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the Ballon d'Or, but the award eventually went to Manchester United forward and future teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. For the latter part of the 2008–09 season, Van der Vaart was mostly utilized as an impact substitute by coach Juande Ramos, which led to speculations of a fall-out between coach and player. Despite transfer rumors linking him with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, he denied having any links with the English clubs. During the summer of 2009, it was speculated that van der Vaart would leave Real Madrid after being told he was not going to be part of the team's plans by
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by Ryan Giggs at the start of extra time as Manchester United went on to win 4–1 on penalties. On 24 May, he scored his first league goal for Manchester United in the last match of the 2008–09 Premier League season against Hull City. Gibson was rewarded with a three-year extension to his Manchester United contract, tying him to the club until at least 2012. Gibson was one of a number of young United players who came under criticism when they lost a four-year unbeaten home record in Europe, losing 1–0 to Beşiktaş at Old Trafford. On 1 December 2009,
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home game against Everton. United hit the post three times in the match. Cristiano Ronaldo hit the upright with a fizzing drive, as did Smith with a similar effort, and Paul Scholes also saw a shot come back off the post. But United were lucky not to concede a penalty when Mikaël Silvestre blatantly used his arm to clear the ball from a lurking Duncan Ferguson. In the first half, Louis Saha missed a great chance when he headed wide. It was the only clear-cut opportunity of the opening 45 minutes, with United lacking the cohesion to break down an
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and United were knocked out on away goals. United announced early in the transfer window that they had agreed a world record fee of £80 million to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Shortly after this, they confirmed that Carlos Tevez, who had been on loan with the club for two seasons, had not taken up the offer of a permanent contract. Tevez would later sign for United's local rivals, Manchester City. Lee Martin, Fraizer Campbell, Richard Eckersley and Manucho also left the club for an undisclosed fee. After the departures of Ronaldo and Tevez, United sought a new striker,
2009–10 Manchester United F.C. season
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of Carrick, which was questioned and criticised by a large portion of the media, brought stability and further creativity in the United midfield, forming an effective partnership with Paul Scholes. Park Ji-sung and Ryan Giggs both underlined their value to the first team squad by adding significant pace and incisiveness in attack with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ferguson celebrated the 20th anniversary of his appointment as manager of Manchester United on 6 November 2006. Tributes also came from Ferguson's players, both past and present, as well as his old foe, Arsène Wenger, his old captain, Roy Keane, and current
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made his way into the box before being tripped by Mikel Arteta. Carrick attempted to stay on his feet, but when United were unable to gain an advantage, referee Mark Halsey pointed to the penalty spot; Ronaldo converted the resulting penalty kick to open the scoring. During the second half, Carrick looked to have won another penalty for United when he was knocked to the ground by Joleon Lescott, but Halsey turned away the Red Devils' appeals. Van der Sar was forced into a save from a 30-yard free kick by Arteta on the hour mark, but the shot never
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3–2. In August, League champions United contested the Community Shield against Chelsea, the winners of the previous season's FA Cup. The game finished 1–1 after 90 minutes, United winning the game on penalties. Manchester United started the season by drawing their opening two games against Reading and Portsmouth. United lost Wayne Rooney to a foot injury picked up against Reading and Cristiano Ronaldo to suspension after he was sent off for appearing to headbutt Portsmouth's Richard Hughes. A derby defeat to Manchester City saw the club slip into 17th place in the table. Results elsewhere pushed them into the relegation
2007–08 Manchester United F.C. season
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of Ireland. He also went on to win five senior caps between 1981 and 1985, scoring one goal at full international level. O'Keefe was born and raised in Blackley, in the city of Manchester. He went to school with Mike Pickering, who later found fame as a musician. As a youth he was a ball boy at Old Trafford, and was on course to join the Manchester United youth team when he broke his leg in a collision with David Allison, son of Malcolm Allison, in a regional schoolboy game. Upon his recovery he joined Stalybridge Celtic of the Cheshire
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in the box, and score from few opportunities. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Lionel Messi. Ronaldo quickly established himself among the world's best players in his early 20s, featuring as the core component for Manchester United in the mid-to-late 2000s. However, after winning his first Ballon d'Or by a record-high vote count at age 23, the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history. Universally acclaimed for his prolific and
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win. Over the course of the 2002–03 season, his representatives suggested the player to Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Manager Arsène Wenger, who was interested in signing the winger, met with him at Arsenal's grounds in November to discuss a possible transfer. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, however, determined to acquire Ronaldo on a permanent move urgently, after Sporting defeated United 3–1 at the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in August 2003. Initially, United had just planned to sign Ronaldo and then loan him back to Sporting for a year. Having been impressed by him,
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7 April 2008. The carbon fibre Mercurial SL boots were used in a professional match for the first time in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea, when they were worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. Didier Drogba was also expected to wear them, but instead wore the black Mercurial Vapor IVs. On 7 June 2008, a limited edition brown leather version of the Mercurial Vapors was released to coincide with the start of UEFA Euro 2008. Each boot weighed approximately . A green and white colourway, as worn by Cristiano Ronaldo, was also unveiled on 7 June,
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Grand Prix for providing "misleading evidence" during the stewards' hearing. He later privately apologised to FIA race director Charlie Whiting for having lied to the stewards. In 2009, the World football transfer record was set by Spanish football club Real Madrid when it purchased Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million (€93 million). Manchester United veteran Sir Bobby Charlton said the world-record offer shocked him: Steroids also spread the sports world throughout the decade, mainly used in Major League Baseball. Players involved included Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. The following articles contain brief timelines which list
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Méïté scored two goals for Bolton: one in the 3–1 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday, 14 February 2007, and the other in a 1–1 draw against ZFK Rabotnički Kometal of Macedonia, in the UEFA Cup, on 20 September the same year. In March 2008 he was involved in controversy during Bolton's defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Manager Gary Megson blamed him for two goals that Bolton had conceded in the first half of the game (both scored by Cristiano Ronaldo), and Méïté refused to come out for the second half. He claimed he was unfit to
Abdoulaye Méïté