CELEBRITY
Four points of interest in Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Man Utd training session since return
Cristiano Ronaldo took part in his first training session with Manchester United since departing in 2009, having re-joined the club from Juventus in a £20million transfer this summer
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United is underway after the Portuguese superstar returned to the club’s Carrington base on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, 36, took part in his first training session with the Red Devils since departing in 2009, having re-joined the club from Juventus in a £20million transfer this summer.
The veteran forward arrives back in Manchester full of confidence after netting two goals in a World Cup qualifier victory over Republic of Ireland last week.
Ronaldo spent time talking with old friends and his new teammates as he looked to prove to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he is ready to start against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Here are five things we noticed in Tuesday’s training session.
1. Back with the ball at his feet
Ronaldo spent five days in quarantine after returning from international duty last Thursday, so he will have been relieved to be back out on the training pitch.
The Portugal captain was allowed to travel to the United Kingdom after his yellow card in the dramatic victory over Republic of Ireland saw him suspended from Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier with Azerbaijan.
Ronaldo scored two late goals in the win over ROI – and looked as sharp and determined as ever in his first training session since his return to Manchester United.
2. The student has become the master
Cristiano Ronaldo spent six years honing his trade under Sir Alex Ferguson after arriving at Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon as a teenager in 2003.
The young winger was nurtured by senior forwards in the squad and former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would later coach him as a member of Ferguson’s staff.
Now embarking on his second spell with the Red Devils, Ronaldo will be looked up to by the latest crop of emerging talent, and was seen working with 17-year-old striker Joe Hugill, as well as 18-year-old prospect Hannibal Mejbri.
3. Catching up with familiar faces…
Cristiano Ronaldo was seen chatting with Mike Phelan during the training session – a figure he knows well from his first stint at Manchester United.
Phelan served as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man for many years and worked alongside Ronaldo for the 2008/09 season, during which the Red Devils won the Premier League.
Ronaldo was also seen with his former teammate Darren Fletcher, who serves as United’s technical director.
4. …And forging new friendships
As well as talking to the Manchester United coaches he already knows, Cristiano Ronaldo made an effort with his new teammates and was seen laughing with midfielder Fred, who speaks his native Portuguese.
Diogo Dalot watched on and could hardly contain his happiness at playing alongside his national team colleague at club level, while Ronaldo appeared equally delighted throughout the training session.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first footballer to reach billionaire status, according to the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which has valued the Portugal great’s net worth at an estimated $1.4 billion.
The 40-year-old striker’s financial ascent comes after he signed a new contract with Saudi side Al-Nassr in June reportedly worth more than $400 million.
Bloomberg said that Ronaldo earned more than $550 million in salary between 2002 and 2023, supplemented by a decade-long Nike deal worth nearly $18 million annually, and lucrative endorsements with Armani, Castrol and others that added more than $175 million to his fortune.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr from Manchester United in 2023 had already made him the highest-paid player in football history, with an annual salary of 177 million pounds ($237.52 million), plus bonuses and a reported 15% share in his Saudi Arabia club.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has earned more than $600 million in pre-tax salary during his career.
Ronaldo’s billionaire status places him among a rare group of athletes that includes basketball greats Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James, golfer Tiger Woods and tennis player Roger Federer.
Ronaldo suggested he is not considering retirement any time soon.
“I still have a passion for this,” he said at the Portugal Football Globes gala on Tuesday. “My family says it’s time to quit and they ask me why I want to score 1000 goals if I’ve already scored 900-something. But I don’t think that way inside.
“I’m still producing good things, I’m helping my club and the national team. Why not continue? I am sure that when I finish I will leave full because I gave everything of myself. I know I don’t have many years left to play, but the few I have left, I have to enjoy them to the fullest.”
-Reuters
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Former England soccer captain David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman were knighted in King Charles’ annual birthday honours list on Saturday, while sculptor Antony Gormley was made a Companion of Honour.
Beckham, 50, joined Manchester United as a trainee in 1993, going on to make almost 400 appearances for the club where he won a string of titles and cups.
He subsequently played for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, and Inter Milan, as well as captaining his country 58 times and making 115 appearances.
His marriage to fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham in 1999 cemented a celebrity status which went far beyond his sporting exploits.
Oldman, 67, started his career on the stage, where he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, before rising to prominence in film. He won the best actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in the 2017 drama “Darkest Hour”.
He also had roles in the “Dark Knight Trilogy” and the “Harry Potter” movie series and more recently starred in the TV spy drama “Slow Horses”.
Other famous names receiving honours included damehoods for musical theatre star Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Barker and ceramics maker Emma Bridgewater.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of rock band the Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, received a knighthood for services to charity.
More than 1,200 people received honours for their achievements, with a particular focus on those who had given their time to public service, the government said.
King Charles’ official birthday will be celebrated with the annual “Trooping the Colour” military parade in London on Saturday. His actual birthday is on November 14
-Reuters
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One of three judges in Diego Maradona’s closely scrutinized homicide trial in Argentina resigned on Tuesday amid a scandal triggered by the alleged filming of an unauthorised documentary, bringing uncertainty to the future of legal proceedings.
The high-profile trial over the death of soccer star Maradona began on March 11 in the South American country where the World Cup winner is still revered.
-Reuters
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