In the 61st minute of the game, wearing the famous No. 7 jersey with blonde streaks in his hair, in came Cristiano Ronaldo for Nicky Butt.
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On Aug. 16, 2003, Sir Alex Ferguson introduced a skinny 18-year-old as a second-half substitute against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the Premier League season. Around 60,000 fans at Old Trafford knew who he was, but did not know what to expect from him. In the 61st minute of the game, wearing the famous No. 7 jersey with blonde streaks in his hair, in came Cristiano Ronaldo for Nicky Butt. And the rest is history.
?️ #OnThisDay 1⃣5⃣ years ago, #TheBest FIFA Men’s Player 2018 nominee @Cristiano made his @ManUtd debut. The rest is history.pic.twitter.com/6IWLCT4kYN
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) August 16, 2018
The first two or three touches from his striking silver boots looked nervy. But by the time his cameo was over, he had given Bolton right-back Nicky Hunt nightmares, won a penalty that Van Nistelrooy missed, laid on another golden chance for the Dutchman and had been involved in Giggs’ second goal.
In stoppage time, he was confident enough to ask Phil Neville to step aside and let him take a free kick. Ronaldo played for less than 30 minutes, but during that time United had gone from grappling with Bolton to cruising to a 4-0 win.
Giggs scored twice, Scholes had been fantastic, but all anyone wanted to talk about post match was Ronaldo. Ferguson, usually so careful not to put too much pressure on young players, said United fans had “a new hero.”
“It was a marvellous debut, almost unbelievable,” added the United manager. “I thought the pace was too slow in the first half and I knew Cristiano would add penetration. We have to be careful with the boy. You must remember he is only 18. We are going to have to gauge when we use him.”
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce admitted he had hoped Ronaldo’s debut would come later in the season after a conversation with striker Mario Jardel, a former teammate of Ronaldo’s at Sporting.
“After what Mario told us we were hoping he wouldn’t even be on the bench,” Allardyce said. “He reminds me of Ryan Giggs when he first started. He can go inside, outside, uses both feet and runs at people. Everyone holds their breath when he gets the ball.”
Even one of United’s greatest No. 7s was impressed.
“It was undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen,” said George Best. “There have been players who have some similarities [to me], but this lad’s got more than anyone else, especially as he is genuinely two-footed. He can play on either wing, beat players with ease and put in dangerous crosses with his left or right peg. When was the last time you saw that?”
In six years at Old Trafford, he won everything — three Premier League titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup, the Club World Cup and the Champions League.
United’s Premier League and Champions League double in 2008 was built on his goals — an astonishing 42 in 49 games, including one in the Champions League final against Chelsea — and he was named World Player of the Year for the first time.
