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April 11, 2024
Cristiano Ronaldo's tenure at Manchester United saw mixed fortunes against rivals. The Portuguese has been decisive in many games in English soil, but it was during his first spell at the club that he had the most impact for the Red Devils...
During Cristiano Ronaldo's two spells with Manchester United, the first one between 2003 and 2009 and the most recent one between 2021 and 2022, the superstar forward was often a thorn in the side of the Red Devils' arch-rivals, destroying defenses and frustrating opponents' fans. Here's a look back on Cristiano Ronaldo's Premier League scoring record against the Red Devils' biggest foes, which obviously includes of coursee Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Cristiano Ronaldo - First interview with Manchester United:
Manchester United have formed some great rivalries over the years, with Liverpool and Leeds United being two of their most recognised. Leeds, who are 10/3 in the betting on the Championship to win the title this season, spent little time in the Premier League during Ronaldo's first spell at Old Trafford. The Whites, who are 1/4 in the Championship promotion betting odds this term, did come up against Ronaldo for the first time at Elland Road in October 2003. Roy Keane bagged the winner that day in a 1-0 win, while it would be February 2022 the next time Ronaldo and Leeds crossed paths in a 4-2 win for the Red Devils in West Yorkshire. Failing to score in either of his two appearances against Leeds, the Whites are the only one of United's rivals Ronaldo has not found the back of the net against.
As for rivals Liverpool, Ronaldo has a better record against the Reds, scoring in two of his ten meetings with the Merseyside outfit in the Premier League. The forward had to be patient for his first goal against Liverpool, with him scoring for the first time against the Reds in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford in March 2008. The former Real Madrid star scored the following year from the penalty spot in a 4-1 defeat on home soil, in a game that saw Nemanja Vidić shown a red card for the hosts. It's fair to say Ronaldo's goal stats against Liverpool and Leeds are nothing to write home about but he certainly faired better against other rivals.
Going back to the early 2000s, Manchester United and Arsenal formed one of the great Premier League rivalries as they competed for multiple Premier League crowns. Sir Alex Ferguson against Arsène Wenger, Keane against Patrick Vieira, this rivalry had everything. Ronaldo played a big part in the rivalry at this time and managed to score seven goals in his 14 Premier League games against the Gunners. He only scored more (both eight) against two other clubs in the English top flight, in the form of Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur during his spells at United.
The rivalry with Manchester City changed when the Cityzens were taken over back in 2008, the year before Ronaldo moved on to pastures new with Real Madrid. Still, looking back over Ronaldo's two spells in England, he managed to score three goals in 11 meetings with City. Winning six of those battles against United's neighbours, Ronaldo did have his moments against the blue half of the city.
Ronaldo really went on to become a goalscoring machine following his move to Real Madrid but looking back, he will certainly have some fond memories of playing in Manchester United's biggest grudge matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al Nassr is on April 19, against Al Feiha for the Saudi Pro League. You can watch Al Nassr vs Al Feiha, AC Milan vs AS Roma, Monterrey vs Inter Miami, Liverpool vs Atalanta, Benfica vs Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen vs West Ham, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.
Al Nassr next game:
Al Nassr vs Al Feiha kick-off time (19-04-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 22:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 20:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 18:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 17:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 16:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 12:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-3: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-6: 09:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / bbc.co.uk / theguardian.com
