CRISTIANO RONALDO sent out an emotional message after he marked his Manchester United comeback with a brace.
The 36-year-old, who re-joined the club from Juventus on deadline day, celebrated his return by breaking the deadlock with a tap-in in first half stoppage time against Newcastle.
He then followed that up by explosively racing onto a Luke Shaw throughball and slipping it through the legs of keeper Freddie Woodman for his second.
That ensured he stole the show against the Magpies as United romped to a 4-1 victory with Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard also getting their names on the scoresheet.
And just minutes after the final whistle, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share his delight.
Along with snaps of him scoring and in action against Toon, he wrote: “My return to Old Trafford was just a brief reminder of why this stadium is known as the Theater of Dreams.
“For me, it has always been a magical place where you can achieve everything you set your mind into.
“Along with all my teammates and with the amazing support that we always get from the stands, we face the road ahead with confidence and optimism that we’ll all be celebrating together in the end.
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“Proud to be back at Man. United and playing in the Premier League once again, but above all, happy to help the team! Let’s go, Devils!”
His international colleague and new club-mate Fernandes said afterwards: “Everyone knows what Cristiano Ronaldo brought for the club and we are really happy to have him.
“The most important, as he will say, is the result for the team. Good players can always play well together.
“We arrived at the end (of last season) with some mistakes but did really well.
“There has been an improvement in the club and now it is time to take the next step.”
Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer admits there is no stopping Ronaldo, despite his age.
He told BBC Sport: “Freddie Woodman had a poor game today, but Ronaldo punished Newcastle.
“I thought Newcastle offered a lot on the counter-attack; there were two or three times where a better final pass gives them a better situation.
“Man Utd had better forwards on the pitch and that’ll be the difference for them this season.
“Ronaldo keeps on going and going; there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.”
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