Today, Ronaldo can get revenge from 17 years ago

Exactly 17 years ago today, Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a Champions League elimination and he gets a chance to get his sweet revenge.

Back in 2004, Cristiano Ronaldo was going through his first year as a Manchester United player in a tough season. The Portuguese star arrived to replace David Beckham after the Englishman left to play for Real Madrid. Initially, very few United supporters hoped he could be as successful as ‘Becks’ became as a Red Devil. During the knock-out stages of the Champions League that season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad clashed against an up-and-coming manager who coached Porto.

You might’ve heard of him, his name is Jose Mourinho. Ronaldo played against the manager who would someday coach him at Real Madrid and was completely neutralized by his defenders. During the first leg, the Dragons won with a solid 2-1 advantage at Do Dragao Stadium. Everything was left to the Theatre of Dreams as United fans were confident this was an easy task for them.

Cristiano couldn’t make the difference.

Given that Jose Mourinho studied Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad to the last detail, FC Porto actually had a chance at Old Trafford. They won the knock-out stage with a second-half equalizer scored by Costinha that gave us that famous Mourinho gallop on the sidelines. Ronaldo played only during the final moments of both matches throughout the stage. He wasn’t able to get his chance to shine.

Although he eventually got his revenge in the 2009 edition, today is special for a specific reason. It’s been exactly 17 years since that elimination happened and Cristiano has a chance to make history today. We are certain he remembers that bitter moment of his first year as a Manchester United player. He is already fired up for later today and well-rested for this new challenge.