Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become a United player again after leaving for Real Madrid in 2009, with his transfer from Juventus subject to the agreement of personal terms, securing a visa and undergoing a medical.
The move has been welcomed by United players past and current, with Ronaldo’s former teammate Rio Ferdinand praising the United board for moving quickly after Manchester City had appeared to be the 36-year-old’s likely destination.
He said: “Wow! The pendulum has swung. What a 24 hours. Man United have done what they needed to do.
“The Man United hierarchy, when they needed to move there was no looking back. They performed perfectly at every step. There was no looking over their shoulder, no hesitancy about it.
“There was an opportunity for Ronaldo to continue his history and legacy at this football club."
United players took to social media to welcome Ronaldo back to the club he joined in 2003 and where he spent six successful seasons.
Bruno Fernandes, who spoke to his Portugal teammate about returning to United, tweeted: “‘Agent Bruno’?” before adding a cartoon of what appeared to be Fernandes as a youngster watching Ronaldo alongside the caption “Never stop dreaming…”.
United’s summer signing Jadon Sancho and fellow England internationals Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard were among a host of current United players to tweet about Ronaldo.
Roy Keane, who was United captain when the club first signed Ronaldo, wrote on Instagram: “Welcome back Cristiano”, while Edwin van der Sar posted on his account: “How are you feeling @manchesterunited fans? Always dreamt but never expected that it would happen! Welcome back in Manchester @cristiano”.
While the deal is yet to be finalised, Ronaldo will cost United a reported £21m in transfer fees, with Juventus allowing a cut-price move for the striker due to his age.
He will also go straight to the top of the pay league at Old Trafford, with a weekly wage of £510,000 according to spotrac.com, significantly higher than current highest earner David de Gea.
A gallery of the Manchester United earnings and Ronaldo compares is above, compiled by figures from spotrac.com. To see the next picture and salary, just swipe.
Manchester United salaries 2021
1) Cristiano Ronaldo - £510,000 per week
2) David de Gea - £375,000 per week
3) Jadon Sancho - £350,000 a week
4) Raphael Varane - £340,000 a week
5) Paul Pogba - £290,000 a week
6) Anthony Martial - £250,000 a week
7) Edinson Cavani - £210,000 a week
8) Marcus Rashford - £200,000 a week
9) Harry Maguire - £189,904 a week
10) Bruno Fernandes - £180,000 a week
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
