Cristiano Ronaldo marked his second Manchester United debut with a brace. We look at five other players who scored on second debut.
Follow Us
Cristiano Ronaldo made his second debut for Manchester United this weekend, and of course he scored. Ronaldo is, at this point, a pure goalscorer who is almost guaranteed to find the back of the net when given the chance.
Still, it was a heartwarming sight for United fans all the same. And proof of the fact that the Portuguese superstar gives them an edge over their rivals.
That one was for you, Reds ❤️#MUFC | #HereWeBelong pic.twitter.com/7pZE8kKWY5
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 11, 2021
And although they will face teams better than Newcastle United, it was still a good start to his second stint at the club. However, he isn’t the only one to have scored on his second debut.
Here’s a look at some notable players aside from Cristiano Ronaldo who have scored on their second coming at a club.
Before Ronaldo, there was another Serie A export who scored on his Premier League homecoming. Romelu Lukaku arrived on a club-record fee at old club Chelsea from Inter Milan. And he was thrown in on the first week he became available, starting the club’s second league match against Arsenal.
A wonderful cross from Reece James after Chelsea dominated the opening proceedings saw him prod home a simple finish. He would then terrorise the Arsenal defence all afternoon and almost had a second; some good goalkeeping from Bernd Leno put paid to those hopes.
Still, it was quite the start to Lukaku’s second Chelsea stint – especially since he never scored a league goal for the Blues in his first stint.
The man whose goals propelled Arsenal to trophies aplenty, Thierry Henry returned to the club for a short loan stint in 2012. The main aim of the deal was to get himself match-fit before the Major League Soccer (MLS) season commenced. Henry needed the game time before turning out for the New York Red Bulls.
However, the idea of seeing Henry in an Arsenal shirt again was a heartwarming one for Arsenal fans. And he reminded them just why they loved him so much on his second debut for the club. Coming off the bench in an FA Cup third round match against Leeds United, he scored the only goal of the game.
He would end his short stint by scoring a stoppage time winner in a league game against Sunderland. This took his overall goalscoring record for Arsenal to 228 goals in all competitions, of which 175 were in the Premier League.
The man who alongside Cristiano Ronaldo gave opposing defenders nightmares, Wayne Rooney rejoined Everton in the summer of 2017. And it didn’t take him much time to hit the ground running. His first appearance came in a Europa League qualifying match, where he didn’t score. But it was his league debut that saw him back in the headlines.
In a home game against Stoke City, who were always tough opponents, Rooney scored the only goal as Everton ran out 1-0 winners. It was the perfect way to welcome back Everton’s prodigal son, who first announced himself to the world in the blue shirt.
The Brazilian is best remembered for his legendary free-kick taking prowess during his time at Lyon. However, what’s probably less remembered is that Juninho went back to Vasco da Gama not once but twice. It was his first stint that made him a legend at the club, but his homecomings were also popular.
On his second arrival he immediately reminded the fans of his proficiency from dead balls. His first match was a tough encounter against Corinthians, but he found the back of the net from a free-kick. To make this even more amazing, he would go on to return to the club a third time – and again score on his debut.
Diego Costa is fondly remembered at Chelsea, despite the acrimonious nature of his departure. The forward joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid and spent three good years at the club. However, a falling out with then-manager Antonio Conte saw him outcast by the manager.
As such, a return to Atletico came about eventually. And it didn’t take him long to hit the ground running there – only five minutes, to be precise. He came off the bench during a Copa del Rey game against Lleida Esportiu and scored. His second stint there didn’t end too well, but he did show glimpses of his quality despite struggling for fitness due to injuries.
