Manchester United

10 years ago  Manchester United raised eyebrows by splashing out £12.24million to pluck an 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro from Sporting Lisbon and promptly handed their first ever Portuguese player the No 7 shirt vacated by David Beckham.After a rocky start of too many step-overs and plenty of play-acting, Ronaldo went on to be one of United’ most exciting players ever before taking Real Madrid by storm.To celebrate the anniversary of his signing by Sir Alex Ferguson, Sportsmail takes a look at Ronaldo’s decade of dazzling skill, glorious goals and courting controversy.

Fresh faced: Alex Ferguson signed Ronaldo for Manchester United in the summer of 2003

2003/04

Spurred on by Ronaldo’s man-of-the match performances in Sporting Lisbon’s 3-1 pre-season win over United, and the fact the vultures were circling, Ferguson acted swiftly to head of the competition for Europe’s most exciting prospect handing Ronaldo his debut by bringing him off the bench in the opening game of the season. 

Too many tricks raised question marks about the precocious talent with the floppy hair and blonde highlights but the raw talent was there for all to see. 

Ronaldo scored his debut goal for United against Portsmouth in November and signed-off his first year at Old Trafford by helping his new team lift the FA Cup with the opening goal.

Champions: Ronaldo won the FA Cup alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy when they beat Millwall 3-0 in 2004

Reckless: Rooney getting to grips with Ronaldo before he had signed for Manchester United

Promise: At 18, Ronaldo was still to maturing into the player Ferguson knew he would become

2004/05

After sobbing at Portugal’s shock Euro 2004 final defeat to Greece on home soil, Ronaldo started to become a more regular feature in United’s starting line-up.

Along with a minor toning down of the showboating and tendency to hit the deck, evidence of his future goal scoring prowess started to show, as did the burgeoning partnership with Wayne Rooney. 

Such was Ronaldo’s worth to United, there was already talk of a new deal at Old Trafford.

Goalscoring boots: Ronaldo grabs a goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Newcastle

Another one for the stats man: Ronaldo scored just the nine goals in his second season in England

2005/06

As the maturing continued, the goal tally increased, and comparisons with United legend George Best also began to surface. 

Ronaldo enjoyed the dubious honour of being sent off in the derby against Manchester City for a lunge on Andy Cole, his first straight red in United colours, while there was also a training ground bust-up with Ruud van Nistelrooy. 

Off the field there was tragedy and scandal. Ronaldo’s father died from an alcoholism-related liver condition at the age of 52 in September while a month later he was arrested on suspicion of rape, although the case was subsequently dropped. That new deal was clinched, designed to keep him at Old Trafford until 2010.

Becoming prolific: 2005/06 was the first season that Ronaldo got into double figures

Winker: Ronaldo's season ended in disgrace when he got Wayne Rooney sent off in the 2006 World Cup

2006/07

Ronaldo’s United career descended into turmoil following that infamous ‘wink’ after getting teammate Rooney sent off in the World Cup while talk of a move to Real Madrid went into overdrive.

Instead it turned out to be the year Ronaldo came of age and thrived on the boos despite continued diving accusations. Gary Neville later said Ronaldo had ‘left as a featherweight and returned as a light heavyweight’ after the World Cup and that development was reflected in the 20 goals he bagged for his team as United won the Premier League for the first time in four years. 

During the season Ronaldo penned yet another deal designed to keep him out of the clutches of Real worth a cool £120,000-a-week. The recognition of is achievements was also demonstrated by the fact he picked up the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards.

One of a kind: Ronaldo refined his free-kick style at Man United

Defeated: United ended up losing in the semi-final of the 2006/07 Champions League

2007/08

Ronaldo started the season in ignominious fashion by getting sent off for head butting Portsmouth’s Richard Hughes. If he learned a lesson from that occasion then it was his stunning free-kick against Pompey which will live longer in the memory, one of his best goals for United in surely his finest campaign at Old Trafford.

His tally of 42 goals saw him crowned Europe’s top scorer in a season where he captain United for the first time and bagged his first hat-trick. 

With a second league title to his name, Ronaldo endured a roller-coaster Champions League final against Chelsea, scoring United’s opener but missing his shoot-out spot kick in Moscow. He has John Terry and Nicolas Anelka to thank for sparring much more than his blushes. 

Back of the net: He won the Golden Boot in 2007/08 with a massive 42 goals in all competitions

Global superstar: Real Madrid were waiting in the wings for the right moment to strike

Penalty shootout: He did celebrate winning the Champions League when they beat Chelsea in the 2008 final

2008/09

Another summer, another Ronaldo to Real transfer saga. He remained but sat out the early encounters after ankle surgery. The goals soon began to flow however as he notched up his 100th for United in a 5-0 win over Stoke. 

The awards came thick and fast too with Ronaldo becoming the first United Ballon d’Or winner since Best before picking up the FIFA World Player of the Year crown – shortly after writing off his Ferrari.

A hat-trick of Premier League titles was pocketed but Barcelona proved too much in the Champions League Final, although his 40-yard thunderbolt against Porto was subsequently voted the best goal of the year. In the end a world record £80million offer from Real proved too enticing for United to resist.

Magnificent: Ronaldo scored a 40-yeard stunner against Porto that was voted goal of the year in 2008