If Manchester United fans had even the most fleeting of hopes of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in a red shirt again, they were all but dashed yesterday. The Real Madrid megastar has put pen-to-paper on a new, £14.25-million-a-year, five-year deal at the Bernabeu, seemingly tying him to the Spanish giants for the rest of his career. And that will come as a savage blow to United and their supporters, following a summer of speculation linking "CR7" with a return to the Theatre of Dreams after a four-season absence. United bought Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and the then-unbridled youngster went on to become the world's second best player as we know him today, commanding a then-world-transfer-record £80 million when sold to Madrid six years later. And if the Red Devils were hoping to see him trot his stuff in Manchester again, they will likely have to make do with seeing him play against them in Europe in the seasons to come. United boss David Moyes, who has already missed out on several top targets in the transfer window since replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, will now have to look elsewhere, and here, we take a look at 5 January Alternatives To Cristiano Ronaldo. Click "Next" to begin.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
