"Welcome home, Ronaldo"
The former Sporting Lisbon player received a warm reception at his old stadium as Real Madrid took on the Portuguese giants in the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo received a rapturous reception at the Estádio José Alvalade on his first competitive return to his former club since joining Real Madrid in 2009.
The welcome was even more heartfelt after Ronaldo led his country to a first major tournament triumph at Euro 2016 in France. "Welcome home, Ronaldo" the screens announced an hour before kick-off as the teams first emerged onto the pitch.
Manchester United move
The Portugal captain started his career at Sporting aged 11 and remained at the Lisbon-based club until a fateful night in August 2003 when he so impressed Alex Ferguson and his players during a 3-1 friendly win over Manchester United that he was signed for the Old Trafford club weeks later.
There were a multitude of placards in the stadium in honour of Ronaldo, and plenty from younger fans asking for the star’s shirt at the end of the match.
"Made in Sporting"
During the warm-up fans inside the stadium gave their former player a huge ovation and images on the big screens showed Ronaldo in the famous green and white with the legend “Made in Sporting” emblazoned underneath. Another reel showed some of the key moments from the Real Madrid star’s career
