Cristiano Ronaldo Set For Dramatic Manchester United Comeback After City Pull Out Of Race

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will transfer to the English club where he spent much of his early professional career, Manchester United announced Friday.

KEY FACTS:

The Portuguese forward is slated to leave Italian club Juventus F.C. and return to Manchester United, subject to agreements on visa, medical and personal terms, the English Premier League club said.

The Guardian reported the four-time Ballon d'Or winner will likely sign on to a two-year deal, and that Manchester United has agreed to pay Juventus roughly $27 million to start.

TANGENT:

Ronaldo’s four-year contract with Juventus, worth $64 million a year, was set to expire next year. Ronaldo’s manager, Massimiliano Allegri, confirmed Ronaldo planned to leave the Turin club this season earlier Friday. "Cristiano gave his contribution, he made himself available, now he leaves and life goes on,” Allegri said.

BIG NUMBER:

$120 million. That’s how much Ronaldo has earned in the past year, according to a Forbes estimate, making him the third highest-paid athlete in the world, coming in just after boxer Conor McGregor and Ronaldo’s rival, Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi. He became the first athlete to exceed $1 billion in career earnings last year, according to a Forbes estimate.

KEY BACKGROUND:

Ronald first joined Manchester United as a teenager, the first club he played for outside of his native Portugal. It’s been 12 years since Ronaldo left the English club, where he scored 118 goals in 292 games over six years and helped Manchester United win the three Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008.