CRISTIANO RONALDO is back at Manchester United and back in the goals, scoring twice on his second debut for the club.
The Portuguese forward, 36, was clinical in front of goal in the 4-1 victory – but he did a lot more than just put the ball in the back of the net.
Ronaldo linked up well with his new team-mates and showed a considerable amount of pace, despite his advancing years.
Many predicted CR7 would offer nothing but goals this season – but his performance against the Magpies has debunked that theory.
Here, SunSport analyses Ronaldo’s outstanding return to Old Trafford.
12 YEARS
Ronaldo has broken the record for the longest gap between Prem appearances, with his last game coming against Arsenal in May 2009.
NO WASTE
He had only EIGHT touches in Newcastle’s box during his 90 minutes on the pitch – and 63 in total – but still managed to score twice.
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ONE IN THREE
The Portugal captain needed just six shots to score his brace, with both his efforts on target finding the back of the net.
CLOSING IN
Ronaldo is now 44th on the all-time Premier League leading goalscorers list with 86 – and is expected to score his 100th this season.
30 CLUB
His first goal against Newcastle was his 30th in 2021, meaning he’s the only player to score more than 30 goals in 15 consecutive calendar years.
RAPID PACE
Ronaldo reached a top speed of 20.2mph while running through on goal for his second strike – remarkable for a player of his age.
PASS IT ON
The forward’s pass accuracy was an impressive 86.7 per cent after completing 17 passes in the final third and creating one chance.
GOLDEN OLDIE
Only two players – former Man Utd stars Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes – have scored in the Prem at an older age than Ronaldo.
DOUBLE HUNDRED
The Portugal skipper now has 200 braces in his career – equalling Lionel Messi’s record.
GUNNER SUFFER
Ronaldo’s double against Newcastle means he has more Prem goals this season than Arsenal (one) and Norwich (one).
TAKE THE BALL
CR7 completed nine passes to compatriot Bruno Fernandes, seven to Luke Shaw, seven to Paul Pogba and five to Harry Maguire.
GIVE IT TO ME
And he received ten passes each from Pogba, Fernandes and Nemanja Matic.
WOW
Ronaldo is the first Man Utd No7 to hit a Prem brace at Old Trafford since he did in April 2009.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
