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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Omar Garrick

A fan's perspective of Cristiano Ronaldo's second Manchester United debut

It's almost hard for me to put into words just how incredible the atmosphere was at Old Trafford as Cristiano Ronaldo emerged from the tunnel on Saturday afternoon.

I got the train into Piccadilly station and then jumped on a tram to Altrincham before getting off at Old Trafford. As I made my journey to the ground, all you could hear was Viva Ronaldo being belted out by supporters, and it's fair to say that I was joining in - it was brilliant.

As I arrived at the ground the chanting was even louder and the hype continued to build as people started to spread rumours that the Portugal international was set to start.

Some supporters were nervous and said, "wait until it's confirmed." Others took it as an excuse to sing Viva Ronaldo once more.

As the clock ticked towards two o'clock I started to nervously check my phone - along with every other fan in attendance - trying desperately to find out whether the rumours were true. I couldn't get any signal and so I headed to the megastore to see if there were any Ronaldo shirts left (even though I've pre-ordered one already). Unsurprisingly, I had no joy.

As I exited the shop I finally heard the news: he was starting.

It was absolute pandemonium. People were calling their relatives to share the news, everyone was chanting and hugging. Oh how long Manchester United fans had waited for that moment!

As me and my mates entered the turnstiles, Viva Ronaldo was all you could hear and as I got to my seat it got even louder.

This is the One by The Stone Roses then started to play to signal that the teams were on their way.

In the final two years of Ronaldo's first spell at United, he was always the last one to walk out of the tunnel. It was the same on this occasion and when he emerged it was unlike anything I've ever seen before at a game.

The roar when Ronaldo's name was called out prior to kick-off was unbelievable. When the first half kicked off, no one in the Stretford End was sitting down such was the excitement.

To be honest, United didn't offer a lot in the first half and as we went into added time, people were leaving to get their half-time pints. However, they'll be kicking themselves because they missed something truly special.

Although it was a tap in, the movement from Ronaldo for his first goal was sensational and the noise as the ball hit the back of the net was deafening. It was, perhaps, the most emotional I've ever felt at a football match.

However, his second goal made me feel even better.

In front of the Stretford End, as Luke Shaw slotted the ball through to him and he took a touch there was almost a sense of inevitability about what was coming next. Ronaldo powered the ball through the legs of Freddie Woodman before sprinting off to the corner flag near where I was sat. "SIUUUU" bellowed around the ground, shaking the whole of the city. What a moment. What a debut!

There were some other standout performers on the field. Paul Pogba was sensational in the middle of the park and Bruno Fernandes' goal was just incredible - everyone was high-fiving each other when that flew into the top corner.

To top it all off, Jesse Lingard also got on the scoresheet, giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plenty to think about ahead of his next team selection. His celebration with Ronaldo was very emotional. You can only imagine he's been dreaming of that moment his entire life.

When the final whistle blew and Solskjaer greeted Ronaldo at the tunnel, you could tell from the smile on his face it was a day he'll never forget, and one I'll certainly never forget.

Sensational.

Were you lucky enough to witness Ronaldo's second United debut? Follow our new United Fan Brands writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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