Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo returns against Manchester United!

Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo trains in Turin on the eve of tonight's Champions League clash in Manchester. Pic/AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo will always be fondly remembered at Old Trafford, but as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner rolls back into town today, this former hero may be the last sight Man United want to see. Ronaldo made his name in Manchester, scoring 118 goals, winning three EPL titles and the first of his five Champions Leagues before a then world record move to Real Madrid.

Rape accusation
Today, he returns in the colours of Juventus, with the cloud of a rape accusation in USA dating back to just before he made the move to Madrid in 2009. Ronaldo strongly denies the allegation and has been backed by his club, but it remains to be seen if the hero worship he got on his last visit to Old Trafford in 2013 is dialled down a bit by United fans. That night he broke United hearts, including that of old mentor Alex Ferguson, in what was his last European match in charge, with the winning goal in a contentious tie.

Ronaldo, though, has little room for sentiment when it comes to furnishing his legacy. Five years ago his mission was to land Madrid's long-awaited 10th European Cup. It took an extra year, but he eventually did so, as well as an 11th, 12th, and 13th before leaving this summer. That is how Ronaldo rolls and no one is more aware of that than his manager the night he last triumphed in Man, and United boss, Jose Mourinho. "Cristiano is still a top player. He likes to come back here, he did when he was with Real Madrid." The job now is to win the Champions League with a third different club and Juventus' first in 22 years. That is why the Vecchia Signora paid Madrid 112 million euros (USD 129 million) for a 33-year-old.

Top scorer
Top scorer in the Champions League for the past six years, Ronaldo is yet to break his European duck with Juventus after being sent-off just 30 minutes into his Champions League debut for the club against Valencia, and missing the visit of Young Boys through suspension. Juve won both games. United's situation is poor as a 0-0 home draw with Valencia leaves them with work to do despite beating Young Boys. A run of four wins from their first nine EPL ties also does little to suggest they can inflict Juve's first defeat of the season.
AFP

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever