Cristiano Ronaldo is back with Manchester United, proving once again that he's always seen red. He was close to signing with archrival Manchester City but the star striker pulled out the last minute and decided to return to Old Trafford, sending shockwaves to the football world.

The lure of ending his illustrious career where it all started to happen for him was too much to reject for Ronaldo. Too much history. Too many memorable moments. Despite moving to Real Madrid and Juventus later on, he's maintained a close relationship with Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson. The legendary former manager was instrumental in persuading Ronaldo to return.

But according to a report by ESPN, a bunch of his former teammates also helped convinced Ronaldo to run it back with The Red Devils.

As the prospect of Ronaldo joining City became more and more real and United fans began expressing their outrage, his former United teammates Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandes, and Ferguson all got involved. For their part, Ferdinand and Ferguson told him simply “you cannot sign for City.” Phone calls were made and WhatsApp messages sent to Ronaldo.

At 36 years old, Ronaldo is already past his prime and will have to recalibrate his game to suit Manchester United. But he has proven that he can still score, tallying 101 goals in his two years with Juventus. He was Serie A's top scorer in both seasons.

Cristiano Ronaldo first joined Manchester United in 2003 as an unproven winger, but since then, he's become one of the greatest players ever, winning five Ballon D'Or trophies in the process. Now, he's back home.