How the world reacted to stunning return
AUSTRALIA
Mark Bosnich, former Man Utd goalkeeper. Presenter and analyst with Stan Sport
I’m delighted for my old team-mate Ole. I think the biggest difference Ronaldo made was the way in which he lifted the belief levels, both among his team and the fans. I think Ole is building something special and Ronaldo’s signing has transformed United from being just contenders to serious title challengers. There would have been a huge interest in the match in Australia anyway, but it was massive with pretty much half the country in lockdown.
UNITED STATES Rebecca Lowe, Premier League anchor, NBC Sports
There was huge hype around this game. I’ve seen Ronaldo shirts around my random little town in northern California, El Dorado Hills. I heard interviews with sports correspondents on NPR, the closest thing to the BBC here, but it’s more Radio 4 than 5 Live, and definitely not sporty! Our coverage went to 100million homes in the States. And Ronaldo delivered. The 4.30am alarm on the west coast was absolutely worth it. US-based United fans are looking forward to the rest of this season with even more excitement.
BRAZIL Mario Marra, ESPN commentator
Manchester United have always had a strong following in Brazil and the fans’ affection for the club strengthened during Ronaldo’s first stint there, as they watched him grow up. There was some anxiety about how he would perform. People feared an anticlimax, but it was quite the opposite! This looks like it will be a beautiful experience.
FRANCE Jonathan Johnson, CBS Sports
While Ronaldo’s homecoming attracted interest in France, Arsenal remain many
French fans’ second club because of Arsene Wenger. Ronaldo’s performance yesterday was noted in the press and television coverage, but not with the fanfare as Lionel Messi’s recent arrival at PSG. The Argentineless Parisiens were in action at practically the same time too, which perhaps accounted for the slight indifference from across the channel towards the Portuguese’s return.
GHANA Gary Al-Smith, JoyNews, Accra
Supporters all over Ghana were following the game. The interest went through the roof. We went out and did a vox pop in Accra to gauge people’s interest. There was a crazy clamour on social media from people asking how they could watch the game. Some would have been able to follow it at home but many others were in bars or at ‘viewing centres’, where somebody in your community who has cable sets up a screen – in a small building, in their garden - and charges a fee for fans who can’t watch the match at home.