Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal shows off signed Cristiano Ronaldo kit from his first Manchester United stint
Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has shared Cristiano Ronaldo's signed jersey from his first stint at Manchester United. The 39-year-old spent a successful six-year spell at Old Trafford from 2003 to 2009.
Having arrived from Sporting CP as a precocious teenager, Ronaldo blossomed into one of the world's best players under legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. In six seasons at the club, Ronaldo scored 119 times and won three straight Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League, among others.
He also won his first of five Ballon d'Or awards (in 2008) at United before he left for Real Madrid the following summer in a then world-record deal worth £80 million. Now with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is still going strong, enjoying a golden swansong.
Chahal - an accomplished bowler in white-ball cricket with over 200 international wickets - tweeted a picture of Ronaldo's signed jersey, captioning the post:
"Best gift ever #CR7"
The 34-year-old hasn't played an international game for India since a T20I against the West Indies at Lauderhill in August 2023. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is coming off a landmark 900th goal for club and country two months ago.
"I can't think long-term anymore" - Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most prolific goalscorer in football history, with 908 goals for club and country. That includes 133 strikes for Portugal, a record tally in men's international football.
After scoring his landmark 900th career goal against Croatia in September, Ronaldo told his former United teammate Rio Ferdinand that he wished to become the first to reach 1000.
However, ahead of A Selecao's UEFA Nations League home game with Poland at home on Saturday (November 15), the five-time Ballon d'Or winner sounded sceptical of reaching the landmark.
"I now face my life living in the moment. I can't think long term anymore," Ronaldo said (as per ESPN). "I can no longer think about what I said publicly that I wanted to reach 1,000 goals. But it seems that everything is easy now, just last month I reached 900.
"It's about living in the moment, enjoying the moment, seeing the response that my legs will give me in the next few years. One thousand goals is great, but if it doesn't come, I'm already the player in history with the most goals."
Ronaldo, whose contract with Al-Nassr ends in June, is coming off a 44-goal season with the side in 2023-24, including a record 36 strikes in the Saudi Pro League.