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MANCHESTER UNITED fans queued in their droves this morning to get their hands on a Cristiano Ronaldo No7 shirt.The excitement is still at fever pitch after the 36 year old completed a sensational return to Old Trafford.
Man Utd fans queued to buy the new Cristiano Ronaldo N07 shirt
Sales continue to soar of Ronaldo’s No7 shirt
Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Man Utd and back wearing the No7Credit: Manchester United FC
Ronaldo is expected to make his debut against Newcastle on September 11 after the international break.
And in the meantime United fans are determined to get kitted out to pay tribute to their returning hero.
There was no sign of Sunday being a ‘rest day’ in the North West as hundred queued outside Old Trafford to pick up some new clobber.
And records have already been broken before he has kicked a ball.
In just four hours following the announcement that Ronaldo would wear the iconic shirt, United’s online store surpassed the highest day of sales ever on a single sports merchandise site outside of North America.
The club’s online shop is run by Fanatics, who work with more than 300 clubs around the world and top sports leagues.
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The first hour of sales alone surpassed the best ever full day of global sales for United Direct, the official club merchandise site.
Across the Fanatics network, Ronaldo became the biggest selling player ever in the 24 hours following a transfer to a new club.

He overtook Lionel Messi joining PSG, Bryce Harper moving to Philadelphia Phillies in baseball, Tom Brady joining Tampa Bay Buccaneers in American football and LeBron James to LA Lakers in basketball.
It comes as Ronny flew in by private jet for his Manchester United return — and set up home in a stunning multi- million pound mansion.
The Portuguese superstar’s plane touched down at the city’s airport at 5.40pm on Thursday after travelling from Faro.
⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez are back in ManchesterCredit: Instagram @cristiano
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JESSE LINGARD reportedly REJECTED a permanent move to West Ham to stay and fight for his Manchester United future.The England man enjoyed a stunning loan spell with the Hammers last season that thrust him back into contention for Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad.
Jesse Lingard reportedly turned down a permanent switch to West HamCredit: AFP
Unfortunately after making the provisional squad, he failed to make the final cut.
He did however feature off the bench for the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win against Hungary last week.
Now, 90min.com is reporting that Lingard ‘made it clear to the club that he did not want to return to the London Stadium’.
The 28-year-old apparently ‘communicated to joint chairman David Sullivan personally’ with his intentions.
Lingard has even more competition in the attacking positions at Old Trafford following the arrival of returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Warrington-born star has played just four minutes so far this season, coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Southampton.
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After West Ham were spurned in their pursuit of Lingard, they decided to shell out £25.7million for Nikola Vlasic.
 West Ham decided not to wait around for a late change of mind from Lingard in case they got caught out.
As a result, they completed the deal for former Everton man Vlasic which could rise to £33m if add-ons are met.
⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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CRISTIANO RONALDO will return to Old Trafford on Saturday — and rightfully reclaims the iconic No 7 shirt he graced in his first stint.It was made famous by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham — producing their own thrilling football with the number on their backs.
Cristiano Ronaldo is BACK at Man Utd – and back in that famous No7 shirtCredit: Manchester United FC
But for many who have worn it since Ronaldo and his CR7 brand left in 2009, it has also proved a heavy burden.
Here, SunSport’s Manchester United reporter NEIL CUSTIS looks at the hits and misses in that magical jersey.
HITS
GEORGE BEST (1963-74)
In full flight, there was no more thrilling sight — perhaps until Ronaldo himself came along.
The first flickering black-and- white images of Best on the ball helped to make Manchester United the global name it is today.
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When you consider the pitches the 1968 European Cup winner worked his magic on as well, it makes his skill all the more remarkable.
In his time at the club he made 470 appearances — scoring 179 goals.
George Best is almost as iconic to football as Man Utd areCredit: PA:Press Association
BRYAN ROBSON (1981-94)
The original Captain Marvel will forever be revered for his swashbuckling displays — many of which have gone down in the annals of history at Old Trafford.
And the 1983-84 European Cup Winners Cup quarter-final was the greatest of all, as Diego Maradona’s Barcelona came to Manchester with a 2-0 lead from the first leg.
Cue Robson’s greatest night. He inspired United to a remarkable 3-0 win, scoring twice himself. He never left anything out there.
Bryan Robson was captain fantastic for UnitedCredit: Getty – Contributor
DAVID BECKHAM (1992-2003)
It is a shame for him that his looks and celebrity status are talked about so much, that his actual footballing ability can be forgotten.
But there are few to match him when it came to delivering a dead ball, crosses from the wing or balls through from deep, with the speed and accuracy that he did.
He never did tap-ins either, with an eye for the spectacular — starting from the day he delivered that famous goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon.
David Beckham racked up a brilliant number of assists during his time at UnitedCredit: Getty
ERIC CANTONA (1992-1997)
The catalyst for the Sir Alex glory years. With his collar up and that strut he brought a swagger and arrogance to a side that needed a spark having blown the title in 1992 — to Cantona’s Leeds.
Glory followed him to Old Trafford, where in five years he won four titles and two FA Cups, scoring 82 goals in 185 appearances.
And just like that he was gone again — but certainly never to be forgotten.
Eric Cantona will go down in United folklore as an integral part of the clubCredit: PA
STEVE COPPELL (1975-1983)
Not as high profile and headline-grabbing as some others — but those who watched Coppell fly down the wing in the Seventies and Eighties will testify as to why his name should be up there.
He wore that No 7 in three FA Cup finals, including the 2-1 victory over Liverpool in 1977.
Steve Coppell was a speedy winger who gave the opposition nightmaresCredit: PA:Empics Sport
MISSES
MEMPHIS DEPAY (2015-2017)
It says everything about where Barcelona are at now that the Dutchman plies his trade there.
He was pursued by Liverpool and Arsenal before Louis van Gaal persuaded him to come to United.
Eighteen forgettable months later, the winger was gone.
He moaned early on about having to play two games a week and never lived up to his billing.
Probably best remembered for arriving on international duty dressed like a ‘Peruvian pan flute player’, according to Dutch coach Co Adriaanse.
Big things were expected from Memphis when he arrived at Old Trafford – but he never deliveredCredit: Getty
ANGEL DI MARIA (2014-2015)
Goodness me, Van Gaal picked them, didn’t he?
To be fair, Di Maria’s failed spell at Old Trafford was as much down to Van Gaal as the player, who he tried to shackle with his mind-numbing tactics.
Let’s leave it to Di Maria to talk about the honour of wearing the famous shirt: “I didn’t give a f*** about the Manchester United No 7, at first they talked to me a lot about it — it was just a shirt.
“My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career.” Fair to say no statues are planned.
Angle Di Maria endured a torrid spell at Man Utd – but blamed the managerCredit: PA:Empics Sport
ALEXIS SANCHEZ (2018-2020)
Never has so much been paid to deliver so little. His attitude stank — and so did his performances.
The most expensive free transfer in history, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan went the other way in January 2018.
He cost United over £60million in wages, add-ons, signing-on fees etc and his return was 45 appearances and five goals. They could not get him out the door quick enough.
Alexis Sanchez had a terrible time of it at Old Trafford after joining from ArsenalCredit: Getty – Contributor

MICHAEL OWEN (2009-2012)
Given that he arrived on a pay-as-you-play deal, it is fair to say the striker did not cost United quite as much as Sanchez.
Owen scored just five Prem goals for United. But he will never be forgotten for that last-gasp goal in a 4-3 win in one of the greatest Manchester derbies of all time in 2009.
Still, for someone so heavily connected with arch rivals Liverpool, the United No 7 just didn’t sit right on his shoulders for many fans.
Michael Owen also wore the No7 – but wasn’t the player he once wasCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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ED WOODWARD played a crucial role in ensuring the most incredible return in football history happened.Sir Alex Ferguson is understandably hailed for his role in getting Cristiano Ronaldo back with his late phone call to the star.
Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Manchester United after leaving JuventusCredit: Getty
Ed Woodward played a crucial role in bringing Ronaldo back to Old TraffordCredit: PA
But it would not have got near that point without executive vice-chairman Woodward convincing the club’s owners and sponsors in a whirlwind 48 hours that it all made sense.
Forget the transfer fee for Ronaldo that comes to £12.85million.
It was the commitment to a wage of £75m if he completes the full three years of his contract for a player who would be 39 at the end of it.
To a bean-counter, that just did not make sense.
But while sponsors and the owning Glazer family may look at the bottom line it was Woodward who convinced them how it would work on and off the pitch.
United fans often ridicule the club for the endless signing up of sponsors – they have 24 – and when executives point to social media figures.
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In this modern game it all matters.
While the sponsors might be tied in to current contracts, they are always considering whether to renew.
Woodward convinced them this Ronaldo deal would really work for them.
The interest it generated backed that up.
In the 24 hours after it was revealed, the announcement of Ronaldo’s return on social media was the most liked by a sports team ever with 12.9million likes.
The announcement on Twitter alone was likewise with 862,000 retweets and two million likes.
They earned more than 3.7m new followers across the club’s social channels.
Woodward had always made it clear to Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes that if Ronaldo ever wanted to leave Juventus that they would be interestedNeil CustisSunSport Football Writer
It was the most talked about transfer ever on Twitter with 2.9m mentions in the first 24 hours, beating Lionel Messi’s move to PSG by 700,000.
Again all these figures will mean nothing to fans unless the team has more points than Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea at the end of the season.
But they matter to the people whose sponsorship puts major money into the club, that gets spent on the players, that makes a title winning team and that’s why they are important.
It is the nous of Ed Woodward and his close friend and group managing director Richard Arnold that has ensured the debt payments which resulted from the Glazer takeover has not hindered their spending power in the transfer market.
This summer has been one of their most remarkable ever despite the club losing £150m due to the Covid pandemic.
Jadon Sancho arrived from Borussia Dortmund for £73m and Raphael Varane from Real Madrid for £42.7m and now Ronaldo.
The restructuring behind the scenes with football director John Murtough now working closely with director of football negotiations Matt Judge in recruitment has also helped create a slicker recruitment model.
Of course manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the final say and he is understandably delighted with the work done, not least in getting Ronaldo.
Woodward had always made it clear to Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes that if Ronaldo ever wanted to leave Juventus that they would be interested.
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It was just the indications were it wasn’t going to happen, that was until the middle of last week when Manchester City’s failure to land Harry Kane triggered their interest in Ronaldo.
Woodward got straight on the phone and turned things around with Mendes, the club’s owners and sponsors in two days.
It was then left to Sir Alex to lift the Bat Phone and get the club’s superhero back.
⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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