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    LaLiga News: Ronaldo returns to Man Utd: Lukaku, Henry and Ibrahimovic – the big names who are back

    Cristiano Ronaldo will play at Old Trafford in 2021-22 after Manchester United confirmed his signing from Juventus.

    The great Portuguese is back with a deal worth 23 million euros (19.7 million pounds), which was sensationally agreed with Juve on Friday.

    For a while it seemed that Ronaldo – who had asked to leave the bianconeri – was heading to Manchester City after missing the signing of Harry Kane.

    Instead, he is returning to the red side of Manchester.

    With the deal now finalized, Stats Perform takes a look at other greats who have returned to their former homes, starting with the Portugal captain …

    Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United

    Ronaldo spent six years at Old Trafford during his previous stint, arriving as a lanky teenager who loved to step back and leaving as a Ballon d’Or winner and icy finisher. His world-record transfer to Real Madrid had come a long time ago and he spent nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu, becoming the club’s all-time top scorer as he continued his transition from winger to number nine. ‘. There he won four Champions Leagues before moving to Juve, for which he scored 81 goals in 98 Serie A games and won two league titles. But now he is returning to England. Whether he can match the standards he set last time, with his 2007-08 tally of 31 goals only improved once in a 38-game season remains to be seen, but United fans will be convinced he can take them to the top. first championship title since Ferguson left.

    Juan Roman Riquelme – Boca Juniors

    Synonymous with Boca Juniors, Riquelme made his professional debut for the Buenos Aires giants and returned to the club for most of his later years as a player, following spells with Barcelona and Villarreal. After the breakup of his relationship with Manuel Pellegrini, Riquelme – the classic number 10 – returned to Boca initially on loan in 2007, remaining there until 2014. He helped Boca win the Copa Libertadores in 2007, the Recopa Sudamericana a year later. , Apertura titles in 2008 and 2011 and the Copa Argentina in 2011-12. He is currently vice president of Boca.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Milan

    After a difficult period under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, ​​Ibrahimovic – who had excelled at both Juventus and Inter – returned to Italy, on loan from Milan, the Nerrazurri’s city rival for 2010-11. He quickly became a star for the Rossoneri, picking up where he left off in Italy with 21 goals, a haul he improved in 2011-12, scoring 35 times in all competitions. Paris Saint-Germain called and went on to become the top scorer of the Ligue 1 giants (a title now held by Edinson Cavani), before moving on to Manchester United and LA Galaxy. Despite being nearly thirty, Ibrahimovic still had a lot to offer and joined AC Milan for the second half of the 2019-20 season, scoring 11 goals. He kept his form in injury in 2020-21, scoring 16 more times, and is set to be a key figure at San Siro once again this season.

    Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea

    Part of United’s reasoning behind Ronaldo’s signing was perhaps to make sure they keep up with their rivals for the title. In the past two seasons, Ronaldo has clashed with Lukaku in Serie A. Although Ronaldo won the battle last season, scoring 29 league goals, against Lukaku’s 24, it was the Belgian who won the war by leading Inter to the title, and now the duo will face each other again in the Premier League after Chelsea broke the transfer record to re-sign the 28-year-old 10 years after his initial arrival from Anderlecht. Lukaku failed to make it into the starting eleven at the time and was loaned out to West Brom and Everton, before moving to Goodison Park on a permanent contract in 2014. However, he returns to Stamford Bridge as a full package and bullied with Arsenal. defense in his second debut, scoring the lead in a 2-0 win for the European champions.

    Didier Drogba-Chelsea

    Part of the fascination with Lukaku’s return to Chelsea was to emulate his icon Drogba, who left Stamford Bridge after helping the Blues win the Champions League in 2012. The Ivorian returned to West London in the 2014 season. -15, with Drogba explaining he couldn’t refuse the chance to work with Jose Mourinho once again. He scored four league goals in 28 appearances to help Chelsea win the title, before leaving for MLS swan song with Montreal Impact.

    Thierry Henry – Arsenal

    Another Premier League great, Henry returned to Arsenal on a short-term loan in early 2012. He scored on his second debut against Leeds United in the FA Cup, turning his only attempt of the match into a cameo of 22 minutes off the bench. He went on to play six more times, scoring in the Premier League against Sunderland, before returning to the New York Red Bulls to end a wonderful career.

    Carlos Tevez – Boca Juniors

    The Tevez-Boca romance dominated much of the forward’s complex career. Having surpassed their youth ranks, the exuberant striker was seen as Maradona’s heir. A brief stint in Brazil with the Corinthians followed, but Europe had long since called, even though West Ham was by no means the intended destination. He continued to play for Man United and City, increasing the tension between the clubs, before moving on to Juventus, but all along Tevez seemed to be longing for a return to Boca. He returned to La Bombonera in 2015, his homecoming was interrupted by a brief stint with Shanghai Shenhua in 2017 in the Chinese Super League, though Tevez also acknowledged seeing his time in China as a “vacation” . “He filled Santa’s sack with dollars and now he’s back at Boca,” was Maradona’s assessment of the striker’s return from CSL. His third stint with Boca ended in June 2021 and it remains to be seen whether he will ever play for another club.

    Wayne Rooney – Everton

    With Lukaku joining Man United in 2017, he opened the doors to Everton to bring back Rooney, who had left his boys’ club in 2004 in the wake of a stellar performance at Euro 2004. Then, at just 18, Rooney became United’s top scorer – and England’s too – and returned to Goodison Park for the 2017-18 season. He scored on his league debut, scoring in the win against Stoke City, and although he scored 11 times in total for the Toffees, a tough season saw Ronald Koeman sacked and replaced with Sam Allardyce, who was subsequently knocked out of the league. door for Marco Silva. With Everton looking to go in a new direction, Rooney left to join DC United’s MLS squad in 2018.

    Gianluigi Buffon – Parma

    Buffon likes a return. Returning to Juventus for the second time in 2019, the great goalkeeper left the club for the second time at the end of 2020-21. The Italian legend hadn’t finished playing yet, however, and Parma quickly emerged as a potential destination despite relegation to Serie B. After a few weeks of reflection, it was confirmed that Buffon was returning to the club where he made a first name. Now 43, the iconic stopper dresses the Gialloblù for the first time in 20 years, and will stay with them for up to 45, as he has signed a two-year contract. What happens next is a hypothesis, but calling it a day with his first club could be a romantic and satisfying conclusion to an extraordinary career – or he’ll end up at Juve again!

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