It is fair to say that Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has seen mixed results. The team are competing for a Champions League place in the Premier League and are still in the Champions League.
However, the veteran Portuguese forward has only experienced flashes of his once superhuman football ability in his second coming at United.
Same but different ✨1️⃣4️⃣ years have passed since @Cristiano's first United hat-trick, but not much has changed 😉🔥#MUFC— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 13, 2022
Same but different ✨1️⃣4️⃣ years have passed since @Cristiano's first United hat-trick, but not much has changed 😉🔥#MUFC
However, on Saturday he rolled back the years to score a hat-trick in a 3-2 home win over Tottenham. The 37-year-old showed up just when his team needed him the most.
His goals came at crucial times in the match and were the key to the Red Devils recording a vital victory.
Ronaldo produced had the sort influence on the game that he has regularly in the past in a United, Portugal and of course Real Madrid shirt down the years.
He may be older, but his know-how and ability to come up with the big moments when needed has not faded. Several times this season in a United shirt he has produced when his team needed inspiration or a goal, even if those moments have become slightly less frequent.
That ability could be crucial on Tuesday night when the Red Devils face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 second leg.
Of course, Ronaldo knows Diego Simeone’s team well from his time in Spain with their arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Tuesday’s game is the sort that Ronaldo seems to thrive in. It is a big European game against stiff opponents that he knows well. It seems well set up for another Ronaldo masterclass.
He may well be advancing in age, but the veteran forward still has magic in those boots and if given the right occasion and service, no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo is still very much the man for the big occasion.