On This Day : Cristiano Ronaldo notched his first-ever goal for Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately opened his Manchester United tally versus Portsmouth on October 31, 2003 at Old Trafford in the English Premier League, but it took him ten games. In a match that he had started on the bench, it should come as no surprise that he got off the mark with one of his signature free kicks.

The Portuguese international took Diego Forlan's place with 15 minutes remaining and United behind 1-0. Five minutes later, he scored his first goal in a red shirt to help secure the victory. It was one of his best goals in a Manchester United shirt till date.

📅 On this day, 21 years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his very first goal for Manchester United. 💥

The rest is history... 🐐 pic.twitter.com/V3fW8b0SGv

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 1, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo was voted the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year at the end of that year, and he received his first of five Ballon D'Or honors. That year, he also took home his first-ever UEFA Champions League victory. Before completing a then-record-breaking move to Real Madrid, it was his last season at United.

With just 17 months separating his 200th as well as 300th goals, CR7 achieved his following five milestones with Los Blancos. Then, in January 2014, he scored goal number 400, which was in honor of the late Portuguese great Eusébio.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s love-hate relationship with UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is the one tournament where Ronaldo has had the biggest impact. In September 2015, the tournament's all-time top scorer scored 500 goals during a group stage match against Malmo. Ronaldo went on to win the European Championship alongside Portugal in 2016, however the 2017 Champions League final was the most ideal setting for him to reach his next goal milestone of 600.

In Real Madrid's 4-1 victory over Juventus, Ronaldo scored twice. His second goal sealed the Cup and was his 600th goal in his career. That year, he won his third Club World Cup, his second Spanish league victory, and his fifth Ballon d'Or in addition to capturing his UEFA fourth Champions League title. He went onto add another title in 2018 before leaving the club to join Juventus.