Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford was one to remember. The Portuguese forward netted two goals in his Manchester United debut to help the home side defeat Newcastle United 4-1 Saturday. The win elevates Man U. to the top of the Premier League standings.
There were #7 jerseys aplenty throughout the stadium and the streets as fans chanted and cheered on the return of Ronaldo prior to kickoff. However not everyone was excited to see one of the game’s brightest stars don the Man U. colours again.
During the match, a small plane could be seen flying over the stadium. Trailing behind was a banner which read “#Believe Kathryn Mayorga”. Afterwards, a feminist group known as Level Up took credit for the stunt on their social media accounts:
Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009. In 2010 she reportedly accepted money from the Ronaldo camp and signed an NDA. She would then take her allegations public in 2018, however authorities were unable to move forward with a criminal case against Ronaldo. There is currently a civil lawsuit before the courts concerning the matter.
Also scoring for Manchester United on Saturday were Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard. Javier Manquilo scored the lone goal for Newcastle United. Man U. is hoping the addition of Ronaldo will be enough to carry them to their first Premier League title since 2012-13.