Chelsea star admits his first football shirt was Manchester United with Cristiano Ronaldo printed at the back
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke recently admitted that his first football shirt was Cristiano Ronaldo's number 7 jersey from the latter's Manchester United days. Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting in the summer of 2003 for a reported fee of €19 million.
Madueke revealed that his first football shirt was Ronaldo's kit in the 2006/07 season, where the 39-year-old scored 17 goals in 34 Premier League matches. During an interview with BBC Sport, the Blues attacker responded to a question about his first football shirt saying:
"2006/07, Cristiano Ronaldo, number 7. Man United."
Ronaldo made his first real mark on the footballing world during his first spell at Manchester United from 2003 to 2009. His performances at the club earned him a massive €94 million move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Overall, the Al-Nassr striker made 346 appearances across competitions for the Red Devils, bagging 145 goals and 64 assists. This includes the matches he played for the club during his second stint between the summer of 2021 and January 2023, after which he departed for Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo won three Premier League trophies with the Manchester outfit and one UEFA Champions League, among other honors. However, his second run at the club wasn't particularly great and saw the five-time Ballon d'Or winner mutually terminate his agreement with the Red Devils.
Ronaldo continues to play his club football at Al-Nassr, where he's contracted till the summer of 2025. With the five-time Ballon d'Or winner nearing the age of 40, this could well be the last club in his playing career.
Chelsea star Noni Madueke picks Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi
Chelsea forward Noni Madueke did not hesitate to put Cristiano Ronaldo over Lionel Messi when asked to pick the better player between the two. The England international also claimed that the Portuguese sensation was his first favourite football player in an interview with BBC Sport.
The GOAT debate often splits opinion, with both Messi and Ronaldo having a lot to show for in their illustrious careers. Messi is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who managed to win the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 in Qatar.
While Ronaldo hasn't won the biggest international competition, he has lifted the European Championship trophy with Portugal in 2016. Besides that, he's won the UEFA Champions League on five occasions to go with his two La Liga trophies. Meanwhile, Messi has won the Champions League four times with Barcelona and La Liga 10 times.