Cristiano Ronaldo will be returning to Manchester United, his former team.
Ronaldo, who had earlier told Juventus that he didn't want to play for the Italian soccer club, secured a return to Old Trafford in a quick-moving deal.
United posted a tweet saying "Welcome back Cristiano." Within minutes, the official website of the club crashed.
Ronaldo, 36, is a completely new player than the 17-year old winger from Sporting Lisbon who arrived at United in 2003 with just a few tricks and no end product.
He scored 118 goals in the next six years and quickly became one of the most dangerous strikers in the game, winning his first of five FIFA world player-of-the-year awards.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the current Man United manager. He knows this all too well. Ronaldo was his teammate once.
After Ronaldo's exit, Solskjaer declared Friday that he was the greatest player of all times.
Ronaldo will join the team for a fee 15 million euros ($17. 7 million, with 8 million euros ($9.4million) in add-ons. The personal terms, visa, and medical exam must be agreed upon before the transfer can take place.
This is the latest big move in the transfer window. It comes just two weeks after Lionel Messi, Ronaldo's long-standing rival, joined Paris Saint-Germain following his Barcelona contract expire. Real Madrid is also interested in Kylian Mbappe, the forward of PSG.
Ronaldo's return to United was not far away.
The team didn't expect him to leave Juventus during this transfer window, and made a move only when it became obvious that he was available.
Ronaldo met Massimiliano Allegri, the Juventus coach, on Thursday and said that he wanted to quit the club where he spent the past three years since he arrived from Madrid. His contract had one year remaining.
Friday saw Ronaldo board a private plane from Turin to Lisbon in his native Portugal. He said that the world would soon know his next move.
After Manchester City, a fierce rival, pulled out of contention for his signature, United was now the clear front-runner.
United stated in a short statement that "Everyone at club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano Back to Manchester".
Soon, Ronaldo took to Instagram to express his gratitude for Juventus.
He wrote, "I'll forever love the city Turin until my last days."
Although he didn't win the Champions League with Juventus like he did in 2008 with United and four times with Madrid in 2008, he was the top scorer of Serie A in the last two seasons, scoring 101 goals in 134 games.
Ronaldo stated, "In the end, we can all look back at our achievements, not all of them that we wanted, but we still wrote a beautiful story together."
Solskjaer already hinted that United was looking to sign its former star, when he spoke at a press conference on Friday. He revealed that Bruno Fernandes (the United's Portuguese playmaker) had been in contact with Ronaldo.
Fernandes tweeted "Agent Bruno" later with a laughing Emoji.
Ronaldo will play his first match back at United before he plays for Portugal in World Cup qualifiers. He has the chance of becoming the top scorer in men's soccer international. He is tied with Ali Daei, a former striker from Iran, for 109 goals in his national team.
In the twelve years Ronaldo was away, English soccer's landscape has changed. When Ronaldo left Chelsea and United were the Premier League's top two teams, Man City was the dominant force, winning the title five times since 2012.
After Harry Kane, City's top target, stated Wednesday that Ronaldo was staying at Tottenham. Given Ronaldo's history with United, it would have been controversial. However, City manager Pep Guardiola downplayed the possibility on Friday -- at the same time Solskjaer was optimistic about United's prospects.
This isn't the first time United has defeated City to sign a player they wanted. Alexis Sanchez joined United after City appeared to be in talks to move for him in 2018. United was willing to pay 80 million pounds ($97 million at the time) to sign Harry Maguire (Leicester in 2019), a sum City did not match.
United, which has not won the Premier League title since 2013, also signed Raphael Varane, a France centre back, and England winger Jadon Sáncho for an estimated $150 million.
Solskjaer will likely win his first trophy in 2018, with Ronaldo joining the team.
Ronaldo's work ethic and pressing may be questionable as he nears the end of his career, but he is a reliable scorer and a proven scorer. He won the Golden Boot at the European Championship with five goals and one assist despite only having played four games.
He will likely share striker duties alongside another veteran player, Edinson Cavani (34-year-old Uruguayan international). Mason Greenwood, an exciting prospect -- Mason Greenwood is nearly half Ronaldo’s age -- will revert back to playing as a wide forward in the competition with Marcus Rashford or Sancho.
United is making a temporary move, it's clear. It will, however, shake up the Premier League and spark excitement among the club's large fan base.