It all started with Schmeichel and now it’s Amorim: the story between Sporting and Man. United
At a time when everything indicates that Rúben Amorim will leave the Lions to head to Old Trafford, remember all the transactions between the two clubs
Sporting and Manchester United have a long history of business dealings. Since 1999 to the present day, five players have made the journey between the Alvalade Stadium and Old Trafford or vice versa.
At a time when everything indicates that the coach of the green and white team, Rúben Amorim, will leave the Lions to head to the English giant, A BOLA recalls all the transactions between the two clubs.
Peter Schemeichel
The connection between Sporting and Manchester dates back to the last century. It was 1999 when Peter Schmeichel, who had recently been crowned European champion with Manchester United , packed his bags and headed to Lisbon.
He played 398 games for the English club over eight seasons, winning five league titles, four super cups, three cups, a league cup, a European Super Cup and the aforementioned Champions League .
Labelled as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Schmeichel arrived at Alvalade and, despite a troubled start, with the departure of coach Giuseppe Materazzi after just five games, he left his mark on the hearts of Sporting fans.
With the Danish giant in goal, the Lions were crowned national champions in 1999/00, after an 18-year drought. In addition to the championship, Schemeichel also helped the Lions win a Super Cup. In total, he played 69 matches for the green and whites in two seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The second chapter of this story is, without a doubt, the best known. After 31 matches and five goals, in what was his first season in the Sporting first team , Cristiano Ronaldo was chosen by Fernando Santos to be in the starting eleven for the game that marked the inauguration of the new Estádio José Alvalade, on 6 August 2003, against… Manchester United .
The match ended in a 3-1 victory for the Lions, but the star of the evening was the young Madeiran, who so enchanted the Red Devils and Sir Alex Ferguson that they immediately signed him for 19 million euros, at the time the most expensive sale in Sporting ‘s history .
In Manchester, Ronaldo achieved everything there was to achieve. In his first spell at the club (2003 to 2009), he played 292 games, scoring 118 goals (including 42 in 2007/08) and providing 53 assists. He also won three Premier Leagues, one Super Cup, one Cup, two League Cups and one Champions League (2007/08). While playing for United , he also won the first of five Ballons d’Or in 2008.
He returned to Manchester in 2021, having stayed at the club for just one and a half seasons (54 games, 27 goals and five assists). He left in conflict with coach Erik Ten Hag and was quite critical of the conditions at the English club.
