Eighteen years after his first debut for Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo captivated Old Trafford just as he always has with two goals in his second club debut on Saturday in a 4-1 win over Newcastle.
After receiving a hearty home welcome, Ronaldo waited until first-half stoppage time to score his 119th career goal for United—his last goal for the club came against Manchester City on May 10, 2009.
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The Portuguese star was practically gifted the goal when Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman spilled Mason Greenwood's deflected shot right into the path of Ronaldo for the easy tap-in effort, which sent Old Trafford into a frenzy just before halftime.
The forward then added his second goal of the match in the 62nd minute in typical Ronaldo fashion with United tied 1-1. After Luke Shaw cut through middle of the Newcastle defense, the left back slipped a through ball into Ronaldo. The United star reached back to corral the pass at full sprint before beating his defender and firing his shot through Woodman to regain the lead for United.
Ronaldo, who turns 37 in February, rejoined Manchester United at the end of August in a €15 million ($17.7 million) move, 12 years after leaving United to become a Real Madrid legend for then-world record £80 million fee. In six seasons with Manchester United, Ronaldo recorded 118 goals in 292 games while collecting three Premier League titles, one Champions League trophy and a Ballon d'Or in 2008.
It's been an eventful last few weeks for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. After completing his sensational return to Old Trafford following three seasons at Juventus, Ronaldo became the all-time men's international goal record during the international break with his 111th goal for Portugal.
