10 times Cristiano Ronaldo stunned everyone with his brilliance while playing for Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo has started training with Juventus. He met his new team-mates at the club's training base on July 30th, including former Real Madrid teammate, Gonzalo Higuain.

With Ronaldo becoming less of a winger, and more of a goalscorer in the last 5 years, Ronaldo is expected to replace Higuain, with the Argentine striker sent out on a season-long loan to AC Milan.

At Real Madrid, his game gradually metamorphosed from a breathtaking sensation to a "breath-saving" style as he started conserving energy in games and even in seasons to be more effective at crunch times.

One of the starkest examples was seen last season. After an underwhelming first half of the season, Ronaldo ignited his game to carry Real Madrid through the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals.

But things were not always like this. There was a time when Ronaldo was a speedy winger. A blur of twinkle-toed step-overs, flicks, nutmegs, backheels. Ronaldo could do it all.

The 2008 Champions League winning season that CR7 had at Manchester United is arguably his most spectacular one. Overall, his six years at Manchester United saw Ronaldo grow up from a kid to a man. We also saw him at his game-driving best.

The Ronaldo we see today uses moments to change games, but from 2006-2009 he was driving the play at United. In this article, we remember 10 jaw-dropping moments produced by the great man in the jersey of the Red Devils.

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#1 Newcastle United: The first hattrick

Hat-tricks and Ronaldo go together like bread and butter. The Portuguese star has slammed more than 50 hat-tricks in his record-busting career so far, with the latest coming against Spain at the World Cup 2018 in Russia.

The hat trick sequence started on an eventful evening at Old Trafford in the 2007-08 season with his first hat-trick against Newcastle United. It included a beautiful team goal involving Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and beautifully finished off by Cristiano Ronaldo.

#2 Blackburn Rovers: Doing a Kroos before Kroos

Toni Kroos scored an outrageous 95th-minute winner against Sweden in the 2018 World Cup. The goal was an example of inch-perfect execution under pressure by Real Madrid’s German maestro.

Ten years before Kroos, Ronaldo executed an identical freekick against Blackburn Rovers. Arguably Ronaldo's freekick was technically even better as he hit it directly from a dead-ball at an acute angle.

The cocky stance and the familiar run-up followed by the blast of the free-kick into the top corner left fans astonished and Paul Robinson befuddled.

#3 FC Porto: The 45-yard rocket

This goal seems more and more ridiculous with every viewing. In the video, the cameraman zooms into Ronaldo seemingly expecting a pass or a piece of skill. But the audience ends up seeing a net-buster from an incredible 45 yards.

This goal was a classic example of the punch that Ronaldo could pack into his shot. It was also a homage to the hours of practice done by the Portuguese. Ronaldo once described it as the best goal he has ever scored.

#4 Aston Villa: The back-heel beanfeast

Watch from 14:20

The outrageous piece of skill produced by Ronaldo against Aston Villa is etched into the memory of many English football fans. It was a delicious combination of a backheel, a flick, and a nutmeg and deserves its place amongst the great goals of the Premier League for the ingenuity involved.

However, the attention on the goal by Ronaldo tends to obscure one of his greatest performances and one of the greatest through-balls of all time. The astonishing no-look, back-heeled through ball by United’s number 7 which enables Rooney to get in behind the defence was mesmerizing, to say the least. As if a back-heel double nutmeg was not enough. In terms of skill and presence of mind, this game witnessed Ronaldo at his zenith.

#5 Portsmouth: The flabbergasting free-kick

Not much to be said about this one. The hapless smile on David James’s face tells one part of the story. Ronaldo's celebrations tell the other.

With his hands outstretched followed by a guttural roar, he soaked in the acclaim of the Theatre of Dreams. The free-kick gets better and better to watch with every replay. Ronaldo’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson went on record to say that it was the best free-kick he had ever seen.

#6 Chelsea: The old-fashioned trick of tricks with Rooney and Giggs

This goal (0:25 in the video) was actually disallowed by the referee. A lot of fans may not remember it. But it deserves a mention for the vintage bag of tricks (and some acting) from Ronaldo, Rooney, and Giggs. It was so ingenious that the referee, Howard Webb, and his linesmen failed to understand what had transpired.

Ferguson's men were playing Chelsea at Old Trafford. The ball went out for a corner, Wayne Rooney took it to the corner flag, put the ball on the quadrant, rolled it outside and walked away. Technically, the corner had been taken and the Chelsea defence was not aware.

Rooney informed the linesman that he had taken the corner. Ryan Giggs seemingly went to re-spot the ball, caught the Chelsea defence napping, ran along the bye-line and put in a sumptuous cross. Ronaldo, like clockwork, steamed in at the right moment and headed the ball into the back of the net.

The goal was a wonderful piece of planning and quick-thinking. It was brilliantly executed by three of the greatest players to have played for Manchester United. It's a pity that the referees could not comprehend what happened and chalked it off.

#7 AS Roma: Floating like a butterfly, heading like the hulk

Moving on from the flicks and tricks, we had the ultimate exhibition of Ronaldo’s power and heading ability against AS Roma in 2008. Ronaldo's ability to hang in the air while heading the ball is now legendary.

This powerful header against AS Roma in the quarter-finals of the Champions League involved a beautifully hung-up cross by Paul Scholes as Ronaldo ran into the box.

He then seemed to fly through the air before thundering in the header while cleaning out an AS Roma defender who was too winded to get up for a few minutes.

#8 Fulham: Smash and grab. Dribble and Score.

This goal was an exemplification of Ronaldo's ability as a winger. Rooney and Ronaldo had been scoring goals for fun since the start of 2006-07 season.

Ronaldo’s goal against Fulham encapsulated the bravery with which United had played all season. He ran with the ball from United’s own half, beat a couple of defenders, and slotted the ball in the back of the net. United celebrated as if they had won the title. It was the sort of backs-to-the-wall game that they had been losing in the past three seasons when Chelsea and Arsenal had the titles. After three years without the Premier League, they were finally playing with the mindset of Champions.

#9 Bolton Wanderers: The ballet with Rooney

This classic counterattacking goal against Bolton Wanderers was rated amongst the goals of the season. It remains vivid in the memory. Ronaldo controlled the ball with his chest at the edge of United’s box. He then fired a low pass into Rooney's feet who flicked it back to United's number 7. Ronaldo then put on the after-burners, thereby leaving the Bolton defenders for dead.

In the meantime, Rooney had made a barnstorming run alongside Ronaldo, which enabled him to slide a cute pass to Rooney at the edge of Bolton's penalty area. The coup de grâce was a sumptuous chip past the Bolton Keeper. Oh, and by the way, it took only twelve seconds.

#10 Arsenal: The quintessential counterattack

Probably the last great goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United. This counterattack was so effectively devastating that UEFA started using it in their coaching manuals to teach about counter-attacking football.

Arsenal’s cross, the clearing header by Nemanja Vidic, the back-heel by Ronaldo to Ji-Sung Park, Park’s pass to the running Wayne Rooney, Rooney’s low-ball, and finally Ronaldo’s lung-busting run into the Arsenal box to finish with aplomb.

It was carnage, and it was over in less than 15 seconds. It sent United to their second consecutive Champions League final, and Arsenal crashing out.