How Cristiano Ronaldo fared on past debuts ahead of Man United homecoming
Football fans all over the world are waiting with bated breath to get a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the red of Manchester United.
After completing his blockbuster move from Juventus, supporters have been going into overdrive as they try to work out when the Portuguese star will make his second debut for the Red Devils, the club whom he left 13 years ago to join Real Madrid.
Providing there are no late injury problems, the 36-year-old could make his first appearance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when they host Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
As well as giving him a chance to get reacquainted with the Old Trafford faithful, Ronaldo will be hoping that a contest with Steve Bruce's struggling sides could see him get his second spell at the club off to an ideal start.
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For the most part, Ronaldo has always made an immediate impact when making his debut.
Here's a look at how CR7 has fared when making his first impression…
Sporting Lisbon v Inter Milan, Champions League qualifying third round, August 14, 2002
For a player who would go on to become one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo's debut was surprisingly understated.
The 17-year-old played 32 minutes of a goalless draw in Lisbon which was followed by another three substitute appearances after impressing the coaching staff during pre-season.
Ronaldo had to wait for his first start in a Primeira Liga game against Moreirense where he scored twice for Sporting and announced himself to the world.
Manchester United v Bolton, Premier League, August 16, 2003
A year later Ronaldo made his United debut after thoroughly impressing Sir Alex Ferguson during a pre-season friendly in Portugal.
Emerging at Old Trafford 29 minutes from the end of the game, the 18-year-old had a hand in three goals for the Red Devils as Ronaldo's pace and trickery left Bolton's defenders feeling dizzy.
Ferguson described it as 'a marvellous debut', but it was nothing compared to what would follow.
Portugal v Kazakhstan, friendly, August 20, 2003
Just four days after his United debut, Ronaldo made his first senior appearance for his national team.
After coming on at half-time, Ronaldo nearly scored within a minute after doing a trademark weaving run before slamming a shot at the goalkeeper.
That goalscoring threat was clearly a sign of things to come with Ronaldo now the leading goalscorer in international football.
Real Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna, LaLiga, August 29, 2009
After signing for a then-world record transfer fee of £80million there was plenty of expectation around Ronaldo's Real Madrid debut.
Thankfully he gave the demanding supporters what they wanted after scoring a penalty in a 3-2 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It eased the pressure on the Portuguese star and set him on the way to scoring a staggering 451 goals in 438 competitive appearances for the Spanish giants.
Juventus v Chievo, Serie A, August 18, 2018
After nine years with Real, Ronaldo moved to Turin and was immediately the centre of attention.
After being denied a number of times by Stefano Sorrentino, Ronaldo was penalised for handball in the build-up to what Juve thought was a late winner.
Thankfully for him the Italian giants managed to grab a goal late on to spare his blushes and ensure that he wasn't in line for criticism on his Juventus debut.
Source: Talk Sports
