Ronaldo is coming home. At least, for 90 minutes. Juventus and Manchester United’s Champions League showdown would have been entertaining a year ago. Twelve months on, it is the headline act.
The 33-year-old goes into the match with accusations over his personal life hanging over him but, on the pitch, he remains as deadly as ever.
Was Cristiano Ronaldo ever going to struggle in Turin? Unlikely. The former United star remains as hungry for trophies as he has ever been. His goal against Genoa at the weekend and sublime performance against Napoli recently shows that.
And, in bad news for Jose Mourinho, the Portugal international now has an extra reason to hit the goal trail.
Lionel Messi is out for three weeks.
Ronaldo and Messi are no longer strutting their stuff in the same division but their rivalry is still very much alive.
For over a decade, they have contested for the world’s most glamorous individual gongs. Not since Kaka in 2007 has another player been able to scoop the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.
Ronaldo has five goals for Juventus this season. Messi is on 12 for Barcelona.
But the Barcelona star’s arm fracture has now given his fierce enemy the chance to play catch-up. He started that against Genoa and may be set to continue it against Manchester United.
If fans think sentiment will stop him getting his say then they clearly don’t know the player well enough.
On his first return to Old Trafford in 2013, Ronaldo had a frustrating evening.
Shackled, somehow, by Phil Jones, he barely got a sniff. United played a tactical gameplan against Real Madrid to perfection and, on that night, led 2-1 on aggregate.
But Nani’s red card changed the game. And Ronaldo, inevitably, got the last laugh.
His record against United since his exit is played two, scored two. That’s simply what the best do.
And with Lionel Messi out on the sidelines, Ronaldo has a key chance to propel his own name up Europe’s goalscoring ladder.
How United could do with a player like that now.
Anthony Martial is the closest thing to a Ronaldo United have at present. But three goals in his last two games is only a start.
Consistency is needed to reach those heights. He now needs to show he possesses that quality – the most vital of all.
Meanwhile, fresh details of Ronaldo’s time at United have recently come to light.
Former Red Devils midfielder Quinton Fortune has opened up on a speech the player gave upon moving to Old Trafford as a cocksure teenager in 2003.
He told the Guardian: “Ronaldo came with so much confidence, it was unbelievable.
“He walked in the changing room and basically told everyone he’s the best.
“Not in perfect English but you could make it out.
“That set him above all the young players and he could back it up with his work ethic and ability.
“Even at that age he wanted to be better at everything.
“If you did something in training he’d practise and come back and do it.”
And former United No 2 Mike Phelan also claimed Ronaldo had set his sights on becoming the best from day one.
“His demands were great – he wanted to be the world’s best,” he said.
“He understood that being at United gave him the profile he needed, the theatre to perform and to produce the football we all knew he could.
“He trained hard, played hard. His desire was as good as anything I’ve come across.”