United's championship triumph in 2006/07 was a collective effort, but one guy played the main part in every significant narrative. It all started with a barnstorming 5-1 triumph over Fulham, in which Ronaldo and Rooney dominated the show and openly debunked accusations that they were at odds. Dazzling wing play was supported by frequent assists and important goals. He finished as the club's top scorer with 31 goals.
Ronaldo then went on to win the European Footballer of the Year award that season. In addition, he helped United win the FA Cup by scoring two goals in the last minute of the sixth round replay against Chelsea at Old Trafford. The game went to extra time after both teams scored twice in the first five minutes of the added period before Ronaldo struck again for United to claim their fourth trophy in five seasons.
Just three months after helping Sir Alex Ferguson's side win the league title, Ronaldo left Manchester United to join Spanish club Madrid. His departure was a huge shock to the world of football and his decision not to sign a new contract caused controversy at the time. However, it didn't take long before everyone realized that Ronaldo had made the right choice by moving to Spain. Not only was he given complete freedom by manager José Antonio Camacho to play how he wanted, but he also managed to help Madrid win the league title in his first season.
In 2009/10, Ronaldo continued to be key figure in Diego Sánchez's team as they won another league title.
Portugal faced England in the quarter-finals, and after Wayne Rooney was sent off, Ronaldo became the pantomime villain for the English press. Some questioned if he would return to Manchester.
United's championship triumph in 2006/07 was a collective effort, but one guy played the main part in every significant narrative. It all started with a barnstorming 5-1 triumph over Fulham, in which Ronaldo and Rooney dominated the show and openly debunked accusations that they were at odds. Dazzling wing play was supported by frequent assists and important goals.
Larsson joined Manchester United on loan in January 2007, giving Alex Ferguson another option alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He scored three goals in all competitions as United won the Premier League and advanced to the Champions League semi-finals. Follow Ben Carter on Twitter for updates!
Larsson returned to Sweden after making 26 appearances for Man United. He signed a four-year contract with the club.
Ronaldo called Larsson his "best friend" at Man United and the two shared playing time throughout Larsson's stay. The Portuguese superstar even described themselves as "a couple of crazy guys who like to play football."
They were both members of the Swedish national team that finished third at the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. The tournament was also the first time they had played together since Ronaldo left Larsson at Man United back in July 2006.
After the Euros, Larsson returned to Man United but was not given much opportunity to prove himself under new manager Alex Ferguson. He left the club after only making nine appearances in all competitions.
Larsson then moved to Galatasaray where he played until 2011 when he ended his career due to injury. He made over 100 appearances in all competitions for Galatasaray.
2003 After a great season with Sporting that drew the interest of Europe's top teams, Ronaldo signed with English superpower Manchester United in 2003. He became an instant phenomenon and quickly established himself as one of the game's top strikers. During his time at Old Trafford, he has won several trophies including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and one Champions League.
As well as being a great player, Ronaldo has been praised for his work-rate and ability in breaking up plays, which has led to him being nicknamed "O Rei". At 28 years old, he is still currently playing for Manchester United and remains one of the world's best forwards.
Ronaldo first came to prominence while playing for Portuguese club Sporting CP. In 1995, he helped his team win the UEFA Cup after scoring 23 goals in 32 matches during the competition. The following year, he scored 42 goals in 44 games as Sporting won the Primeira Liga title. It was then that clubs from across Europe began to take notice of him.
In 1997, Juventus signed Ronaldo after he scored 26 goals in 31 appearances for Portugal during the European Championships. He went on to score 69 goals in 86 games over the next three seasons with Juve. In 2000, Madrid came calling and Ronaldo moved to Spain where he would play for Los Blancos for the next eight seasons.
Ronaldo wanted to leave Manchester United after winning nine Premier League titles, but Manchester United refused. Ronaldo became the finest football player in the world after joining Real Madrid. His goals against Manchester United, as well as his performances against other great clubs, have catapulted him to international prominence.
He is only the third player (after Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho) to score 100 or more goals in the UEFA Champions League. He is also one of only four players to have scored over 50 goals in all UEFA competitions (the others are Abramovich, Zidane, and Cristiano Ronaldo). He is the first player to score in five consecutive UEFA Champions League matches.
With a goal every 110 minutes he is expected to score around seven times in 2014. This would make him the fourth fastest player behind Giggs, Scholes, and Neville to reach 100 goals, behind only Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic who each play at a high level throughout the year.
His record-breaking transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 has been referred to as the "greatest transfer coup in history". The amount of money transferred, $116 million, also remains the highest fee ever received by a European club.
Before making his move to Europe, Ronaldo played for Portuguese club FC Porto.
Ronaldo became an immediate phenomenon and is now recognized as one of the finest attackers in football. His best season at United was 2007-08, when he scored 42 league and cup goals and won the Golden Shoe award as Europe's top scorer with 31 league goals. He is the all-time top scorer for Real Madrid in Spain.
Before joining Manchester United, where he played from 2003 to 2009, Ronaldo spent seven seasons at Real Madrid, scoring 105 goals in 167 games. The Portuguese international moved to United following his release from Real Madrid in 2009. He helped the club win the UEFA Champions League that year and went on to make another five appearances in the competition.
During his time at United, Ronaldo won several individual awards including the European Footballer of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009. He returned to Madrid in 2009 and since then has been part of the Spanish club's first team squad. In 2011, he made his debut for Portugal national team as a substitute in a friendly match against Germany. He has so far scored 56 goals for his country.
After leaving United at the end of the 2009-10 season, Ronaldo signed a new contract with Real Madrid that kept him there until 2014. The Spanish club paid an initial transfer fee of $80 million plus another $20 million if he scores 150 goals during the contract period. He has already surpassed this mark this season.
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