This Season marked Ronaldo's second return to the Old Trafford and his second debut certainly did not disappoint as he was able to pull it off twice in the fabulous 4-1 win, once at each end, and we can expect to see the ‘siiiuuu!’ pose plenty of times over the seasons to come, but some Reds may be wondering what it’s all about.
In the last decade or so, Ronaldo has made himself more iconic by increasingly celebrating his goals for Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal in his own unmistakable manner.
The routine, which the forward has had plenty of opportunity to perfect, goes something like this: Ronaldo finds the net and runs towards the corner flag. Facing the crowd, he then leaps in the air, turning 180 degrees in the process. On landing, now looking out at the rest of the pitch, he adopts a power stance, stretches out his arms and shouts ‘siiiiiiiiiuuuu’.
It’s a celebration which has been depicted in video games and Cristiano is often asked about the reasons behind it. Of course, several of our other players have trademark routines: Bruno Fernandes dedicates all of his goals to his young children, while Edinson Cavani’s archer pose references the people of Uruguay and their fighting spirit.
The origins of Ronaldo’s celebration are a little more illogical, but the move has taken on greater meaning among fans in recent years, especially with the 36-year-old winning Champions Leagues, Ballons d’Or and establishing himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
“I started to say ‘si’, it’s like ‘yes’, when I was in Real Madrid,” Ronaldo said in an interview in 2019. “When we would win, everyone would say ‘siiiii’ and so I started to say it. I don’t know why, it was natural.I was in the USA and we played against Chelsea [in 2013] and I don’t know where this is coming from, the celebration."
“I just scored the goal and it just came out. It was just natural, to be honest. Since that, I started to do it more often and I feel like the supporters and the fans see it and they’re like ‘Cristiano, siiiiiiuuuu’. I’m like ‘wow! People are reminded of me because of it! So it’s good, and I’ll continue doing it like that.” Added Ronaldo.
During his first spell at United, six highly memorable seasons brought 118 goals and 69 assists for Ronaldo, helping bring home three Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and the first of five Ballon d'Or awards. Goals and accolades - individual and team - continued to rack up when Ronaldo left the UK in 2009. Since his second return to the club, Ronaldo has scored 5 goals in his first 5 games. These included 3 Premier League goals and 2 in the Champions League.