Manchester United confirmed they had accepted a world-record offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid on this day in 2009.
The Spanish giants closed in on signing a player they had long targeted and who had developed during his time at United into one of the very best on the planet.
Since joining the Old Trafford outfit from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, Ronaldo had scored 118 goals in 292 appearances for the Premier League club and helped them win a glut of silverware.
The Portugal forward, then aged 24, was the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year.
A statement on United’s official website said: “Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.
“At Cristiano’s request – who has again expressed his desire to leave – and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player.
Ronaldo completed his move to the Bernabeu in the weeks that followed and went on to become Real Madrid’s all-time top-scorer, netting an incredible 451 goals in 438 games.
He won the Champions League four more times and was also named the world’s best player by FIFA another four times before departing for Juventus in 2018.
