'I did unbelievable things' - Boasting Cristiano Ronaldo thinks he was 'amazing' in second spell at Man Utd

The Portuguese superstar returned to what was considered to be a spiritual home in the summer of 2021 when severing ties with Juventus. He was welcomed back to Old Trafford with open arms, with his first steps towards becoming a global icon and all-time great having been taken in English football.

There was to be no repeat of the Premier League and Champions League triumphs from his first spell, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner released as a free agent in November 2022 after falling out with manager Erik ten Hag and conducting an explosive interview with TV presenter Piers Morgan.

While a rekindling of sporting passion did not play out as planned, CR7 believes he delivered on his remit. He has told Rio Ferdinand on his new 'UR Cristiano' YouTube channel: “When I’m back there, I was very happy. I was one of the best scorers, I did unbelievable things with the club – my first season with 24 [goals], I was the third best scorer of the league. In the group stage [of the Champions League] I scored in every game. Even in the league I scored 18 goals. I did amazing. But Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they said a few days ago that they cannot compete to win the league and the Champions League. You cannot say that as a Manchester United coach. You have to be mentally saying, 'maybe we don’t have the potential but I can’t say that'. You have to try. This club needs time to rebuild because it is still one of the best clubs in the world.”

United helped to transform Ronaldo into the player he is today, with Sir Alex Ferguson moulding a tricky winger into one of the most fearsome goalscorers the world has ever seen. Explaining how that process was completed, Ronaldo said: “I realised that the goals, for our positions, it’s more important than f*cking stepovers – which is good, I know. Showboats, you remember, is nice. It’s chapters that you have in your life and you realise that things that you do, it’s not worth it anymore.”

Ronaldo initially joined United in 2003, before leaving in 2009 for Real Madrid and going on to become their all-time leading scorer. He made 54 appearances in total during his second stint with the Red Devils, finding the target on 27 occasions, and still holds a special place in the heart of many supporters at Old Trafford.