Emotions were running high as Manchester United welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford – and his first match appearance well and truly lit up the Theatre of Dreams. Surprisingly, the 36-year old announced last month that he would be returning to his former club 12 years after his move to Real Madrid, a world record.
Fans were delighted when manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed Ronaldo would start against Newcastle on Saturday, and it’s safe to say he lived up to the hype. Scoring two goals in his big comeback, leading to a 4-1 victory against the Magpies, the 76,000 fans at the match were lapping up the electric atmosphere as Ronaldo’s goal-scoring prowess reminded them of the good old days.
While it was a moving day for the fans, one person in the crowd was particularly emotional about the footballer’s big return to Manchester. Ronaldo’s 66-year-old mother Dolores was spotted in the stands.
She has followed her son’s sporting career across the world, including his six years with the Red Devils, and appears to share the same love and appreciation for the club as her son.
Dolores beaming with pride was overcome by emotion when she was seen crying of joy at her son’s success during his second appearance for the club. Man United supporter Ambo (@Ambo_91) shared a photo of Dolores and tweeted: “Ronaldo’s Mum behind me after him scoring, my heart cannot cope.”
People loved seeing Ronaldo’s mum getting into the football spirit, with Ambo’s tweet receiving nearly 54,000 likes. Fans commented on the strong bond between mother and son. Ronaldo scored two goals while Bruno Fernandez and Jesse Lingard scored to increase their lead by 4-1.