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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo gave a signed shirt to Sheriff Tiraspol midfielder Pernambuco following their UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday (September 15). The Brazilian was left awestruck by the Portuguese’s generosity and took to Instagram to share his gratitude.
Manchester United traveled to Moldovan champions Sheriff’s backyard for their UEFA Europa League matchday two clash on Thursday night. Cristiano Ronaldo, who started only his third game under Erik ten Hag this season, scored a confident 39th-minute penalty as the visitors cruised to a 2-0 victory. Jadon Sancho scored the other goal (17th minute) for Manchester United in Moldova.
After the match, Pernambuco received Ronaldo’s match-worn shirt. Ever so generous, the former Real Madrid man also signed the shirt, the image of which was shared by Pernambuco on Instagram.
His caption, translated to English, read:
“A dream come true, to play in a world-known competition, in front of so many greats of world football and among them my greatest reference in football. Gratitude for the simplicity and the gift that was the shirt. @cristiano Glory to God for everything”
The goal marked Cristiano Ronaldo’s first (8 matches) of the 2022-23 season, and 399th club goal overall.
Erik ten Hag ensures Cristiano Ronaldo is “totally committed” to Manchester United project
Over the summer, Ronaldo was linked to multiple clubs, with sources claiming that he wanted to leave the Red Devils before the transfer window closed. The former Real Madrid man also missed most of United’s pre-season fixtures, hinting that he might not remain at the club much longer.
Despite exit talks, Ronaldo ended up staying put at United, and now, Ten Hag has claimed that his talisman is fully committed to helping his team. Speaking after the Europa League win over Sheriff, Ten Hag claimed (via the Manchester Evening News):
“He’s totally committed to this project, totally committed to this team, totally involved, he also has connections that are coming around him and he is constructing connections so I’m happy with that.”
The Dutchman also backed Cristiano Ronaldo to score more goals for Manchester United in the coming days.
He added:
“We could expect this when you miss pre-season, he has to work really hard and invest to get the right fitness. He will score more goals. He’s really close, when he gets more fitness he will score more.”
