Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Premier League Player of the Month Award in his first month after rejoining Manchester United. He won the award after defeating a fierce competition that included Joao Cancelo, Antonio Rudiger, Allan Saint-Maximin, Mohamed Salah and Ismaila Sarr.
The 36-year-old Portuguese forward made his sensational return to Old Trafford in the final days of the transfer window. After announcing that he would be leaving Juventus Manchester United acted quickly to seal the unexpected return of the star. He has signed a contract until 2023.
Ronaldo previously played for the Red Devils back in 2009. Since then, he had made his move to Real Madrid where he dominated as a player and led Real to dominance as well. A successful stint there ended as he started a new journey in Italy adding a few more records and trophies to his name before returning to where his journey began, Manchester United.
Ronaldo Wins Award After 13 Years
The Portuguese Claims His Fifth Player of The Month Award
A kid from Sporting CP had caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2003. After Manchester United completed the friendly match against Sporting, Sir Alex made sure the 18-year-old player signed for them, which he did. The rest is glorious history.
He had formed a substantial bond with the manager, whom he considers a father figure. In his five year spell he transformed into the best player in the world winning plenty of trophies and also won his first Ballon d’Or award in 2008.
This is his fifth Player of the Month award in the Premier League having won it four times, back when United were a dominant force in Europe. The gap of 13 years is also the longest for a player in the Premier League history.
What favoured Ronaldo to win the award was the dream return debut. At a fully packed Old Trafford, Ronaldo scored his first goal from a tap in. The second goal saw his incredible pace put to good use. His contributions helped them thrash Newcastle United 4-1.
He also scored the equaliser against West Ham United in the following fixture following a brilliant cross from Bruno Fernandes and the finish was perfectly executed. However, he failed to score in the loss against Aston Villa. Cristiano Ronaldo was shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month after scoring three goals in three matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo Wins, But Manchester United Struggles Continue
There is no team in the Premier League that can match the attacking prowess of Manchester United yet they seem to be the ones struggling. With the addition of Ronaldo, United have a plethora of options in attack.
The Red Devils have won four, drawn two and lost one in the Premier League so far. If compared to the other top teams, they are right there with them but arguably they are yet to face a tough opponent. United have not played a match against the top-6 clubs and they have dropped points against the likes of Southampton, Aston Villa and Everton.
Ronaldo has been doing his bit, but the team still lacks that extra something to become the team they intend to become. In the Champions League, they were shocked by BSC Young Boys but they made a comeback against Villarreal with the winner being scored by Ronaldo. If they intend to win trophies, a big turnaround must be made this month where they will be facing their toughest opponents so far as they will face both Leicester City and bitter rivals Liverpool.
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