A few days ago, the entire world had their eyes on what the future holds for soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo. After spending just three seasons with Juventus, the 36-year-old announced his return to Manchester United.
Previously, Ronaldo spent six seasons with the Red Devils, where he took his game to an elite level. He won everything one could ever want during his stint with United. In hopes to conquer the rest of the soccer world, Ronaldo left the club in 2009. Now, after 12 years, he is coming home.
ESPN commentator and analyst Michael Wilbon compared this return to Michael Jordan, making a return to the Chicago Bulls.
“This, to me, is like, Michael Jordan returning to the [Chicago] Bulls.”
Much like Cristiano, MJ is a name that most sports fans know whether or not they follow basketball. During the 1990s, Jordan took the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships while being the best player in the world, by far.
However, after winning the sixth championship of his career, Jordan announced his retirement from the NBA for the second time. The retirement lasted three years, and MJ made his return to the league one last time.
The only thing that was different this time was that he was not wearing a Chicago Bulls uniform for the first time in his career. At that time, Jordan was 38 and was out of his prime.
Despite that, he produced more than 20 points per game in his last two seasons in the league.
Coming back to Ronaldo’s return to Man Utd, the 5-time Ballon D’Or winner is now 36-years-old. He might not be the player he was a few years ago. Ronaldo still has some gas left in his tank.
As for his goals for the new season, the number one priority would be to bring the EPL trophy to United fans. If he can help the club win the UEFA Champions League as well, then it would act as the cherry on the top.
For now, most fans are waiting for Ronaldo’s unveiling ceremony at the Old Trafford, possibly done by Sir Alex Ferguson.
