$160m in 2 years: The total cost of Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United

Manchester United completed a sensational deal for the return of Cristiano Ronaldo on summer transfer deadline day. The 36-year-old was welcomed back to Old Trafford after 12 years away from the English club. United completed the deal with Juventus for a cut-price fee of $20m. 

The 5-time Ballon d'Or winner was reluctant to leave the Allianz Stadium and the Bianconeri was eager to secure some money for the player to prevent him from leaving for free the following season. Thus, a deal with the Red Devils was agreed in earnest, with the alternative being allowing Cristiano to go to Manchester City who was not ready to pay any fee. However, for United, the $20m paid as a fee for his transfer is just a fraction of what they'll pay on the total deal for Cristiano Ronaldo. What are the other fees Manchester United will spend? 

Salary and Bonuses of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United

On his return to Old Trafford, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to a two-year deal with the option of a year extension that is worth an annual fee of $70m according to Forbes. This is divided into two major categories of wages and bonuses. In his statutory weekly wages, Cristiano Ronaldo is billed to earn approximately $700,000 weekly or about $36m annually. The remaining $34m is to come from match bonuses, performance-related bonuses, and achievement clauses in his contract.

This means that the total amount of money that Manchester United would be spending on Cristiano Ronaldo annually ($70m) is more than three times the amount they used in signing him from Juventus ($20m). However, the English club is confident that despite forking out an expected $160m on the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner in just 2 years, they will get absolute value for their money both on the pitch and off the pitch. 

What is Cristiano Ronaldo's impact at Manchester United in 2021?

Since joining Manchester United in the summer transfer, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a total of 4 goals already in just 5 matches. Ronaldo netted a brace on his EPL debut against Newcastle United before scoring another goal on his UEFA Champions League debut against Young Boys. He scored the equaliser in last week's 2-1 win over West Ham at the London Stadium.

Off the pitch, the Cristiano Ronaldo deal has also been very successful for Manchester United. It was reported that Manchester United sold over one million replicas of the CR7 jersey just 1 hour after its release online. This would amount to a total sale price of about £100m for their kit sponsors, Adidas, in which United would get at least £10m as their share.