Premier League
It’s 20 years today since Cristiano Ronaldo changed football
Cristiano Ronaldo was 18 years old when the 2003/2004 season was about to start. At that time, he had already accumulated 1,069 minutes in the Portuguese League, with 3 goals scored, and had made his debut in the Champions League against Inter, with 32 minutes played.
By the time 6 August 2003 came around, Portugal was experiencing a special moment. Football was changing, with major clubs building new stadiums for the following year’s European Championship.
The Jose Alvalade was the first stadium to be unveiled, although the European Championship was not scheduled to take place there.
Manchester United were invited to the celebration and the young Sporting and Portuguese football star knew he would start the match thanks to his coach Fernando Santos (both would go on to win the European Championship with Portugal 13 years later).
But that very night marked a turning point in Cristiano’s life, and it was later revealed only many years later in the Cristiano documentary produced by Jorge Mendes.
He spent part of the night with Alex Ferguson at the Penha Longa Hotel in Sintra. At the time, half of Europe, including Barcelona, were tracking this footballing diamond.
Mendes was instrumental in giving Cristiano the best option, guaranteeing the United manager would play him in at least 50 per cent of the Premier League games.
With this guarantee, Mendes made the decision that Cristiano would play for United that season, even though the player was still unaware of it.
Ferguson’s secret
That night, Cristiano Ronaldo went from being an unknown to a footballing figure as he swept aside United’s stars. With his irreverence, he dribbled past everyone and made extraordinary moves.
At the end of the game, Manchester United’s Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand approached Ferguson asking him to sign the player.
But the truth is that a deal was already in place. Ferguson smiled, knowing that in a few days Cristiano Ronaldo would be wearing a United shirt.
On his Premier League debut, Cristiano was impressive and left all the fans delighted.
At a time when David Beckham’s departure to Real Madrid was causing widespread heartache, Cristiano was quick to ensure that the departure was quickly forgotten.
Moreover, it was Ferguson’s decision that Cristiano should wear the number 7 shirt, the same one that had been worn by the club’s stars.
Life changed that day for Cristiano, and football was destined for a change of its own.
Shortly afterwards, Portugal opened the Do Dragao stadium in Porto, which marked a milestone.
-Marca
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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