Cristiano Ronaldo
Performance Analysis: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Dream Manchester United Return against Newcastle United
Over 12 years after his last match for Manchester United – the 2009 UEFA Champions League final which saw Barcelona emerge with the coveted trophy – Cristiano Ronaldo was back in a red shirt at the club level. In that time away, he had gone and basically won everything he possibly could with Real Madrid and later Juventus alongside his Euro 2016 success for Portugal, establishing himself as one of the best football players in the world. Eventually, though, his gargantuan salary became too much to handle for Juventus, who were happy to move him on this summer. A bit of a transfer saga developed as Manchester City seemingly declined to sign him initially but after failing to land Harry Kane looked all set to bring him to the Etihad Stadium, however, a last-minute twist saw the Portuguese int...
Enhanced Odds Offer: Cristiano Ronaldo 16/1 from 2/1 to Score First vs Newcastle United
Manchester United take on Newcastle United on Saturday at 3 pm BST. To celebrate the return of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo, bookmakers are serving up great deals & giving away free bets. Read on to learn more about these special promotions and how to claim them: Hundreds of goals and dozens of trophies in Spain and Italy later, Cristiano Ronaldo will finally make his long-awaited return to Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon, as title-chasing Manchester United face old foes Newcastle United. If you’re looking to celebrate the return of probably the greatest player to ever participate in the English game by placing a wager, read on: the team at sportslens has mined the juiciest offers and deals from the UK’s best betting sites and listed them below for your convenience. How long these great...
‘We are here’: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer open to sensational Cristiano Ronaldo return
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to rule out a possible return for Cristiano Ronaldo before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. The 36-year-old has decided to leave Juventus after three seasons, and it has been widely reported that he could join United’s arch-rivals Manchester City. There has not been an official bid from the English champions yet, and when asked about Ronaldo, Solskjaer described him as a legend of the club. Ronaldo played for six seasons at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009. Solskjaer refused to rule out a stunning comeback for the 36-year-old. He told Manchester Evening News: “Don’t want to speculate too much – he is a legend of this club, the greatest player of all time if you as me. “I was fortunate enough to play with him, to coach him. Let’s see,...
Messi miles ahead of Bayern and Chelsea stars in Ballon D’Or race
The 2020/21 season has officially come to a close, and it’s around this time when we start to speculate about our award winners. The Ballon d’Or is the most high profile individual award in the game, recognising the world’s best player from the past 12 months. With the season over, we’re now looking at our potential winners. Two months ago, we compiled a list of the leading candidates for the prize. Since then, we’ve had a Champions League final and a summer of international football. Some of the list has aged well. Other parts….not so much (whose idea was it to give Antoine Griezmann an honourable mention?). Anyway, two months on, and we now have a clearer picture of who our 2021 Ballon d’Or winner could be. Lionel Messi The Copa America has tipped the balance in Messi’s favour As things ...
Euro 2020 Golden Boot: Cristiano Ronaldo or Harry Kane?
Just one game remains of Euro 2020, with England facing Italy at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to determine the European champions. Of course, all the focus will be on the full-time result. But one subplot to the game involves England captain Harry Kane, who has the opportunity to win his second Golden Boot of the year. Ronaldo currently leads the Golden Boot race with five goals and one assist As it stands, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way in the Euro 2020 goal charts with five. He is level with Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick, and one ahead of Kane, Emil Forsberg, Karim Benzema and Romelu Lukaku on four. If two players are tied for goals, the player with the most assists out of the two is awarded the prize. As Ronaldo has one assist, he is placed ahead of Schick, who has none. If th...
Euro 2020: Cristiano Ronaldo ‘proud’ of Portugal’s efforts after elimination
Captain Cristiano Ronaldo said on Monday he was “proud” of holders Portugal’s efforts despite bowing out of Euro 2020 after the weekend’s 1-0 last 16 loss to Belgium. “We did not get the result we wanted and we leave the competition sooner than expected,” the 36-year-old Juventus star and five-time Ballon d’or winner admitted as his side failed to match their 2016 exploits. “But we are proud of our showing. We did everything we could to retain the title of European champions and this group proved it could still give the Portuguese people much joy,” the former Manchester United and Real Madrid attacker posted on social media after Sunday’s loss. “Congratulations to Belgium and good luck to all the teams left in. As for us, we shall return stronger,” vowed the veteran who at least could cons...
Former Premier League men star, Ronaldo quiet – Belgium 1-0 Portugal Player Ratings
Belgium reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 after a tight 1-0 win over Portugal. The first chance of the game fell to Portugal, and they will have been disappointed with the end result. Renato Sanches embarked on a brilliant driving run before feeding Diogo Jota, but the Liverpool man dragged his shot well wide. For much of the first half, Belgium were struggling to create anything of note, finding themselves limited to an ambitious effort by Thomas Meunier. But they managed to take the lead shortly before half time in fine fashion. Thorgan Hazard picked up the ball from 25 yards out and unleashed a powerful strike into the far corner. Although the ball moved a lot in the air, Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio will feel like he should have done better. There was an early blow in the s...
From Man Utd to Juventus via Madrid – celebrating a footballing phenomenon
One of the greatest players of his generation – Cristiano Ronaldo – has repeatedly proven himself on the biggest stage. His mesmerising goalscoring records and match-winning contributions have put him up there in conversations as the greatest player of all time. Let’s look back at his illustrious career and key highlights from his time at various clubs. Club Career Sporting Lisbon (2001-03) At the age of 16, Ronaldo broke into the Sporting first team under manager Laszlo Boloni. He started as a traditional winger, mainly focusing on crossing and attacking the byline. His pace and agility made him a challenging prospect to defend against. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma for Portugal U-17s Ronaldo caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson in a friendly match between Manchester United and Sp...
Manchester United man leads Euro 2020 Best XI while Ronaldo leads from the front
The Euro 2020 group stages have come to a close, and it’s just a short wait before the knockout rounds begin. The opening two weeks of action have been nothing short of enthralling. We’ve seen some incredible goals, great drama, and an inexplicable amount of own goals. What’s not to love? Here is our best XI from the group stage. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – Hradecky can count himself unlucky to be going home early, having put in some excellent performances in the last three games. He kicked off his tournament with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Denmark and followed this up with another good performance in the 1-0 defeat against Russia. His final game was impressive but ended in heartbreak. He made several brilliant stops to keep Belgium at bay but scored an unlucky own goal to s...
Euro 2020 Best XI from Round 2: Dumfries, Gosen and a dream midfield trio
It’s been another exciting round of Euro 2020 action, with several players putting in standout performances for their country. As we approach the last selection of group stage fixtures, it’s all very nicely set up. We should be in for an enthralling finale. Here is our best XI from the second round of Euro 2020 games. Danny Ward (GK) – Wales go into their final group game with Italy in a very good position. With four points from two games, they look almost certain to qualify for the knockouts. And they couldn’t have done it without Danny Ward, who was excellent again in the win over Turkey. His stunning late save from Merih Demiral’s header was vital to keeping his side ahead in the closing stages, as they later got a second. Denzel Dumfries (RB) – The right-back has made a reall...
Euro 2020: Wales set for hostile crowd as Italy eye knockouts
Wales are bracing for a hostile reception when they face Turkey in Baku at Euro 2020 on Wednesday while rejuvenated Italy can seal their place in the last-16 with victory against Switzerland. After drawing 1-1 with the Swiss in their opening Group A game, Wales play in the capital of Azerbaijan, with locals expected to get behind their Turkish neighbours, who will also have several thousand travelling fans on their side. Wales captain Gareth Bale, who experienced a dizzying run to the semi-finals at Euro 2016, said he was unfazed by the prospect of an aggressive atmosphere. “Hostility is no problem,” said the Real Madrid forward. “This is what we do for a living. We’re used to playing in away games and being in front of hostile crowds.” Turkey are desperate to shake off the disappointment ...
Ronaldo hits double, Liverpool man wasteful – Hungary 0-3 Portugal Player Ratings
A late flurry from Portugal saw them defeat Hungary 3-0 in their opening group stage game of Euro 2020 on Tuesday. The holders had numerous chances to take the lead in the first half but were wasteful in front of goal. Liverpool winger Diogo Jota was particularly dangerous, although his decision making came into question. Jota’s first chance came five minutes in, striking a shot from the edge of the box that was well saved. If he had got his head up, he could have played in Cristiano Ronaldo to his left. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man again had a lovely chance to open the scoring when he found himself free from Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick, but he put his effort way over the crossbar. Portugal continued to threaten and almost made an opening when Ronaldo slipped in Bernardo Silva. Ho...
