Top five Cristiano Ronaldo performances at Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo replaced David Beckham in 2003 when he joined Manchester United. Before joining Real Madrid, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner spent six years at Old Trafford.

Now he is with the Red Devils again. He has returned after 12-long years.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo matured from an inexperienced player into a beast. The United boss made a £12.24 million investment to get Ronaldo. He made his debut in the red shirt against Bolton.

Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored. Ronaldo couldn't find the net in that match. But gradually he became the most vital player for his team. 

He scored 118 goals in his six-year career with the Red Devils. He won three Premier Leagues, the FA Cup, two League Cups, two Community Shields and also the Club World Cup. The superstar lifted his first Champions League in 2008 and his first Ballon d'Or as well. 

The Business Standard (TBS) takes a look at five of the best performances of his first stint at Old Trafford.    

1) Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United (Champions League 2008/09)

Ronaldo's best performance as a Manchester United player came in the 2009 Champions League semi-final. The match was against Arsenal (second leg).

The Red Devils were 1-0 ahead. A draw in the second leg was enough to send them to the finals.

But the Portuguese wanted to show his class. He contributed to all three goals, scoring two and one assist. One of those was a free-kick goal. He outplayed the Gunners single-handedly. 

But in the final, United lost to Barcelona. It was his last match for him in a United kit in the competition. 

2) Manchester United 7-1 Roma (Champions League 2006/07)

Again it's a Champions League match. Roma was destroyed in the quarter-finals. United put seven goals in Roma's net.

No, he didn't break any record in that match, neither scored a hat-trick. But he found his first Champions League goal that night.

It was his 27th appearance. Yes, it doesn't go with Ronaldo but now he is the top scorer of the competition and known as Mr. Champions League. 

He scored two goals in that match. He provided an assist for Michael Carrick as well. 

3) Manchester United 6-0 Newcastle United (Premier League 2007/08)

It must sound unbelievable that the first half of the match was goalless. In the second half, the Red Devils put a dozen in Newcastle's net.

Ronaldo got his first hat-trick in that very match. He scored early in the second half and his third goal came two minutes before the referee bowled the whistle. 

His individual performance was so good in that match and throughout the season as well. In that season he scored 42 goals in 49 appearances. It was his best season with United.

4) Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham (Premier League 2008/09)

Manchester United and Liverpool both were fighting for the Premier League title. Losing a match would ruin everything.

In that kind of a situation, United lagged behind to 2-0 against Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils couldn't find the net in the first half.

In the second half, the game started to change when Ronaldo opened the scoring. Ronaldo handled the situation very well. He boosted up the whole team.

In the 71st minute, the scoreline was 3-2 for United. They put two more to seal the victory. And in the end, they won the title as well.

5) Arsenal 2-4 Manchester United (Premier League 2004/05)

This story will take you back to 2005. Arsenal invited Manchester United. Before the match, United were unbeaten for 13 matches.

Though the match will always be remembered for the fight between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane in the tunnel, before the start of the game, Ronaldo gave a superb performance.

United were 1-0 down. But Ronaldo managed to score twice to make the scoreline 2-1 in the 58th minute. 

His crucial goals showed United the path to victory. In the end, the Red Devils scored four times and stretched their unbeaten record.