Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t miss many chances, but against Sheffield United in 2006, he made a stunning blunder.
The goal machine has his sights set on 1,000 goals before hanging up his boots and with his track record, you wouldn’t be surprised.
During Ronaldo’s first stint at Old Trafford, he scored 109 goals in 270 appearances, but there was one game where he made a shocking miss that left his teammates stunned.
At the heart of that surprising moment was an unexpected figure: Sheffield United goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny.
When you compare Ronaldo to Kenny, it’s easy to wonder what a player like Kenny was doing getting the upper hand against such a legendary talent.
During the 2006/07 season, Kenny impressively didn’t concede a goal to Ronaldo in two matches—though he might have been expected to.
The Red Devils triumphed in both encounters that season, but a shocking miss from Ronaldo could have turned the tides.
Just 13 minutes into their match 19 years ago, Blades star Keith Gillespie sent the home side ahead with a cheeky glancing header connecting with Derek Geary’s cross.
Manchester United rallied from behind to secure a 2-1 victory, with Wayne Rooney’s brace marking their triumph over their opponents.
Ryan Giggs slipped a low pass to an unmarked Ronaldo, presenting him with a straightforward tap-in, but, in an unexpected twist, he spooned his strike soaring over the bar from three yards.
With their hands on their heads, teammates Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Louis Saha were visibly shocked given the amount of goals Ronaldo had scored at this point.
Reflecting on that day with The Star, Kenny was candid when asked if the three-time Premier League champion should have scored against him. “He definitely should have,” he said.
“I get people mentioning the Ronaldo miss to me all the time.
“I tell them that I put him off! He had one eye on the fat cat, flying back across the goal at him!
“It’s still a good memory, though – I had two games against one of the world’s best that season, and he didn’t score. Even if he should have!”
Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 as a youthful, promising winger and evolved into a world-class player, amassing numerous individual accolades, including the prestigious Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.
He was instrumental in Man United’s triumphs, helping secure multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League title.
His departure to Real Madrid in 2009 set a world-record transfer fee of £80m (€94m).
At Real Madrid and later Juventus, he continued his trajectory, collecting even more trophies and individual honours, including additional Ballon d’Or awards.
He achieved international success with Portugal, winning Euro 2016.
When he returned to Manchester United, excitement coursed through the fanbase, but his second stint came to a mutual end in November 2022.
In January 2023, Ronaldo made headlines once again by signing with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, earning the title of the highest-paid athlete in the world with a reported £170m contract.
And he’s clearly still not lost that hunger that made him such an important goal scorer.
Those 1000 goals should be no problem.
