Cristiano Ronaldo Is Coming Back To Manchester United!

Soccer Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo could be headed back to the English Premier League and he's being linked to the crosstown rivals of the team where he became an icon. According to multiple reports, Ronaldo is being linked to a transfer to powerhouse Manchester City, winners of three of the last four Premier League titles. City, which just lost former striker Sergio Agüero to Barcelona, is coached by Pep Guardiola, largely considered to be one of the top soccer managers in the world. The transfer would be a seismic shift in a summer that has already seen some significant changes, none bigger than Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.

Ronaldo, 36, is one of the most decorated soccer players in history. A five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo has also won seven domestic championships and five Champions League titles in his 20 seasons in European soccer. Ronaldo became an international soccer star in the early-mid 2000s, when he played for Manchester United for six seasons. Manchester City and Manchester United are bitter rivals. Before joining Manchester United, he played one season for Sporting CP, a club in his native Portugal. But after he left Manchester United, he went on to star for Spanish giants Real Madrid, where he played for nine seasons from 2009-18. As rumors have started to swirl over Ronaldo's future, he posted a message to his verified Instagram account on August 17, referring to the speculation about his future as a "disrespect." Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or five times in his career, helping Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus all win league titles. He has a combined five Champions League titles in his career and could help Manchester City win its first after losing in the final last year. Ronaldo remains a threat on the pitch, scoring 60 goals in 66 Serie A matches over the last two seasons. It could create an exciting partnership if Manchester City is able to complete the move before the transfer window closes Tuesday.

Portugal advances, Ronaldo scores 2 to reach 109 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals and Portugal advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with France on Wednesday. Ronaldo's tournament-leading fourth and fifth goals moved him level with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109, while also extending his overall tournament record to 14. Karim Benzema scored both of France's goals, his first ever at the tournament after failing to find the target at Euro 2008 and 2012. Defending champion Portugal finished in third place in the group, one spot behind Germany. France, which had already qualified, was first.

Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the 31st minute and then equalized from the spot in the 60th after Benzema put World Cup champion France ahead 2-1 shortly after halftime from Paul Pogba’s pass. Benzema also scored a penalty in first-half injury time after Kylian Mbappe was fouled. It was Benzema’s first international goal in nearly six years after losing his place in the team following a fallout with coach Didier Deschamps. Pogba almost scored a winner for France midway through the second half, but Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio made a superb one-handed save to tip his curling shot off the crossbar and then saved Antoine Griezmann’s follow up shot. France will face Switzerland in the next round and Portugal will take on Belgium. The 36-year-old Ronaldo’s historic run began 17 years ago when he scored his first goal for Portugal in a 2-1 loss to Greece during the group stage at Euro 2004. Before Wednesday, he had never previously scored against France. He put that right, but only after teammate Danilo had received treatment on the field after France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris misread a free kick and punched Danilo’s face. Lloris was shown a yellow card by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who then immediately signaled for medical assistance and awarded a penalty. Danilo’s legs were writhing for a few seconds as he received treatment from medics. France was given a penalty just before halftime after Nelson Semedo cut across Mbappe as he was running to meet another pass from Pogba. The decision stood following a quick video review. Benzema had missed his previous penalty for Les Bleus on his international comeback in a friendly against against Wales earlier this month. He didn't mis this time. Ronaldo went to shake Benzema's hand and even put his arm around him as they walked off smiling at halftime. They then swapped jerseys as they walked down the tunnel.