Cristiano Ronaldo Will Return To Old Trafford!

Cristiano Ronaldo is coming back to Old Trafford! But before all of you Manchester United fans start celebrating in the streets of England, CR7 is returning to the stadium he last played at in 2009 for an international friendly. Old Trafford stadium is set to host a friendly between Portugal and Argentina on November 18^th, marking the return of Ronaldo to the stadium where he first started his career and became a star.

In addition to Old Trafford, Ronaldo and his Portugual teammates have been granted access to Manchester United’s training facility in Carrington by Louis Van Gaal. Ronaldo played six years at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009 when his then record, $142 million dollar transfer sent him to Real Madrid. Ronaldo last played in Manchester in 2013 during a Champions League game. However, the international friendly will mark the first time in five years that Ronaldo will walk through the doors of the Aon Training Center.

Earlier this year, Ronaldo announced his displeasure with Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, after transferring teammate Angel di Maria to Man U. Ronaldo told the media that he would like to return to Manchester United one day, prompting a media firestorm of rumors that Ronaldo could be transferred back to Old Trafford as soon as January. However, since that time Ronaldo has been on fire for Real Madrid scoring 17 goals in 10 games, and recently as Wednesday told the public he would like to return to Real Madrid after his contract concludes in 2018.

United has publicly stated that they would be interested in Ronaldo, but are concerned with the high transfer fee and costs that would be involved. In addition to the transfer fee, Manchester United would have to pay Ronaldo’s enormous salary, making it difficult to accomplish especially with Ronaldo turning 30 years-old in January.

The international friendly on November 18^th, will also highlight the longtime rivalry between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. One of the hottest debates in soccer will open another chapter on the Old Trafford pitch, when Messi tries to seek revenge against Ronaldo for defeating his FC Barcelona club in the Clasico match two weeks ago.