The transfer fee when Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid was £80 million. Real Madrid completed the transfer in 2009, making it a world-record fee at the time.
Ronaldo had joined Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003 and developed into one of Europe’s best forwards under manager Alex Ferguson. After winning three Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and the 2008 Ballon d’Or, he moved to Madrid at age 24.
His presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu attracted at least 80,000 spectators. The fee was widely reported in pounds because Manchester United’s compensation was set at £80 million, although exchange-rate conversions produced different figures in euros and other currencies.
At Real Madrid, Ronaldo became the club’s all-time leading scorer and won four Champions League titles. A common mix-up is confusing his 2009 fee with Neymar’s later Barcelona-to-Paris Saint-Germain transfer, which was dramatically higher.