ROY KEANE has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the Portugal international's dramatic return to Old Trafford this week.
The Irishman welcomed his former teammate back to Manchester United by posting a photo of the two of them during Ronaldo's first season in England, and received a brilliant reply from the former Juventus and Real Madrid superstar.
"Welcome back Cristiano," Keane wrote.
Ronaldo, now 36, signed for United back in 2003 when Keane was captain and went on to score 118 goals in 292 games for the club, before leaving for Spain in 2009 for a world-record transfer fee.
At Madrid, Ronaldo forged a titanic rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi, and managed to score a whopping 450 goals in 438 games for Los Blancos, wining four Ballon d'Or trophies in the process, adding to the one he won while at United in 2008.
In 2018, he moved onto Juventus, but despite scoring over 100 goals in three years, never really managed to reach the heights of his tenures in Manchester and Madrid.
Ronaldo signalled his intention to leave Turin little over a month ago, something which appeared to suit both player and club with Juventus keen to trim their hefty wage bill.
For a time, it looked as if Ronaldo might join Manchester City, who after failing to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane are in desperate need of a striker, but United quickly swooped in to secure the 36-year-old's signature by outbidding their city rivals, who failed to table an offer.
It's understood that Ronaldo has signed a two-year contract at United with an option for a third, which could see him playing until he's nearly 40.
Keane has always maintained that Ronaldo is a better player than eternal rival Messi, while United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - who also played alongside the forward during his first spell at Old Trafford - insisted on Tuesday that he was the "greatest player of all time".
