Cristiano Ronaldo spent six years at Manchester United during his first spell with the club, winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League before joining Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo speaks to the media
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009(Image: Charles McQuillan - UEFA, UEFA via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo's self-belief perfectly encapsulates his choice to leave Manchester United in 2009.
The Portuguese legend flourished with the Red Devils from 2003 to 2009, securing three Premier League crowns and a Champions League. But when Real Madrid arrived with a then world-record £80million bid, it hardly shocked anyone that Ronaldo chose to leave Old Trafford in pursuit of legacy-cementing success with Los Blancos.
Since then, Ronaldo has stamped his status as one of football's all-time greats. Owen Hargreaves played alongside the now 40-year-old during his own spell at United, and recently shared that he always recognised Ronaldo was bound for stardom, reports the Mirror.
Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, he said: "Ronaldo, I was with him that first year when he won the Ballon d'Or, and we were in the gym and I remember...we were in the gym working out with Mike Clegg, the strength coach, and he was cool and he was doing these mad sit-ups.
"And I remember we had this little break from it and he went, 'I'm going to be the best player in the world this year.' That was in the September, and we won the Premier League and the Champions League and he won the Ballon d'Or. So to see these guys, like...
"People see the finished product and everything that goes with it, but actually, these guys, like they're so elite, not just ability. But I think Mo [Michael Owen] - or Wazza [Wayne Rooney], or Cristiano. All these guys are all amazing players, but their mindset is what's quite special."
Ronaldo claimed the Ballon d'Or in 2008 following a spectacular campaign with United, during which he secured the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. While the Red Devils represented one of the planet's greatest teams during Sir Alex Ferguson's iconic reign, Ronaldo perhaps believed he had accomplished all there was to achieve on English shores.
Owen Hargreaves speaks to Peter Crouch
Owen Hargreaves has spoken about Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality(Image: @thatpetercrouchpodcast/Youtube)
Consequently, he transferred to Real Madrid and immediately made his mark, netting 26 goals from 29 appearances in his debut La Liga campaign despite losing out on the league crown to Barcelona. Fast forward to 2018, and Ronaldo left Los Blancos having collected two La Liga titles, four domestic trophies and an equal number of Champions League crowns, whilst also securing another four coveted Ballons d'Or.
Overall, the forward recorded 450 goals and 131 assists across 438 matches for the club, departing as Real Madrid's record goalscorer. He subsequently moved to Juventus to try his luck in Serie A, where he continued to enhance his trophy collection with two league championships, two Supercoppa Italianas and a Coppa Italia.
In 2021, Ronaldo had a brief reunion with Manchester United, but his second stint at Old Trafford was less successful than his first. After a disagreement with then-manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo mutually agreed to terminate his contract in November 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates
Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009
In 2023, he moved to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he has been playing ever since. Despite being in the twilight of his career, Ronaldo extended his contract with the club this summer and even acquired an ownership stake in the Riyadh-based team.
Ronaldo showed his enduring class in Al-Nassr's season opener against Al-Taawoun last month, scoring alongside Kingsley Coman, while Joao Felix stole the limelight with a hat-trick in the 5-0 rout. His focus will now shift to Sunday evening's match against Al Kholood.