MW 'Welcome back' -- sports world reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United
By Weston Blasi
Ronaldo had been in talks to join Manchester City, but will join his former club Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United$(MANU)$ have reached an agreement that will bring Ronaldo back to the team he played with from 2003 to 2009, the team announced.
Ronaldo, who had been playing for Italian team Juventus FC, will return to the English Premier League, one of the top soccer leagues in Europe.
"Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical," the team said in a statement. "Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester."
Manchester United shares were up 6.88% at midmorning Friday in the United States.
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Reactions to Ronaldo's move reverberated around the sports industry and the world on Thursday, and many took to Twitter (TWTR) to share their thoughts, including his new Manchester United teammates Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford.
Ronaldo's new manager, Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, recently said that "you'd love to have Cristiano on your team," as rumors of the transfer spread across the soccer world.
"Cristiano is a legend of this club. He's the greatest player of all time, if you ask me," Solskjaer later added.
The Jamaican sprinter who is famously called the "fastest man on Earth" -- Usain Bolt -- was also excited by the move.
Members of the press and the Premier League's official twitter account also weighed in on the Ronaldo news.
The move for Ronaldo comes in the wake of fellow La Liga legend and longtime rival Lionel Messi's recent departure from Spain's FC Barcelona for the deep-pocketed French club Paris Saint-Germain.
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Ronaldo has earned at least $1 billion during his playing career. Messi is said to have been paid well more than a half-billion euros between 2017 and 2021 alone.
-Weston Blasi
$(END)$ Dow Jones Newswires
August 27, 2021 13:49 ET (17:49 GMT)
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