Cristiano Ronaldo 'happy' to be back on scoring sheet; fans await Man United icon's 700th club career goal

Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal of the season as Manchester United defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 in the Europa League clash on Thursday.

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Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been in the news for the last two months for his desire to leave Manchester United for a shot at Champions League glory this season, would be a relieved man today. The Portuguese talisman scored his first goal of the season as the Red Devils defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 in their Europa League 2022-23 clash on Thursday.

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Ronaldo had gone seven games without a goal this season before the veteran striker converted a first-half penalty against the Moldovan champions. It was the 37-year-old icon's 699th club goal, but the Portugal international's low-key celebration was in keeping with the comfortable nature of Manchester United's third successive away victory. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's strike came after Jadon Sancho put the Red Devils ahead with a well-timed response on a day he was left out of the England squad.

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Ronaldo took to Instagram after this win to share his thoughts on scoring his first goal of the season. "Happy to score and help the team win! 3 important points! Well done lads 👏🏽💪🏽 #mufc," the Portuguese superstar wrote in his post. Elated fans commented on their icon's post, with many gearing up for the striker to score his 700th goal in his club career. 

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"700 goals loading," noted one Ronaldo fan on Instagram, while another noted, "Let's get started," indicating that the Portugal talisman will now score frequently. "Just the beginning," noted a third fan, while another said, "Cristiano is back". Manchester United commented with a muscle and goal emoticon, while young sensation Alejandro Garnacho wrote, "el bicho!!!(the bug)".

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Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo is 'totally committed' to the club after the forward got on the scoresheet. "He’s really close, when he gets more fitness he will score more. He’s totally committed to this project, totally involved, he also has connections that are coming around him (on the pitch) and he is constructing connections so I’m happy with that," the Dutchman said.