Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever United game - where are his former team-mates from 2003 now?

He’s back - Cristano Ronaldo is expected to make his second Manchester United debut this weekend when the Red Devils host Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Of course it’s an experience the Portuguese superstar knows well, having made his first appearance in a United jersey in 2003 when Sir Alex Ferguson’s side beat Bolton Wanderers 4-0.

In the intervening 18 years a lot has changed for that scrawny teenager who bamboozled the opposition defenders with more stepovers than a parent in a Lego-infested bedroom.

Much has also changed for his 13 team-mates on that sunny afternoon, all of whom, unsurprisingly, have now retired from football.

Tim Howard

That win over Bolton was also the goalkeeper’s maiden Premier League outing and he went on to become one of the division’s most reliable stoppers, although this came in Merseyside following his 2006 move to Everton. Howard spent a decade at Goodison Park before heading back to America and joining Colorado Rapids.

Today he is sporting director at US club Memphis 901 and is a regular TV pundit across the pond.

Phil Neville

Speaking of America, that’s exactly where Phil Neville is at present, managing David Beckham’s MLS side, Inter Miami. The former defender was also in charge of the England Women’s national team since retiring, when he joined David Moyes’s coaching staff at United. Neville played for Everton in his career and, like at United, made over 300 appearances for the Toffees.

Rio Ferdinand

A regular TV pundit, it’s difficult to go a few days without seeing Ferdinand on TV or across social media, much as he was when Ronaldo rejoined the club. The now 42-year-old spent 12 years at Old Trafford before joining Queens Park Rangers in 2014. He also went on to captain his country and won six Premier League titles.

Mikael Silvestre

The Frenchman often appears as a guest on shows for United’s official TV channel MUTV and has appeared in charity games for the Red Devils. He left United in 2008 and went on to play for Arsenal. He retired in 2014 and enjoyed a brief spell as director of football at Rennes.

Quinton Fortune

Having returned to United as a coach after hanging up his boots, Fortune has now been working at Reading for the last year. The versatile player ended his career in 2010 and went on to play for Bolton and Doncaster Rovers after leaving the Red Devils.

Nicky Butt

This was actually Butt’s last year at Old Trafford before he joined Newcastle the following summer. He stayed there for six years and ended his career in England playing in the Championship. Butt, who earned 39 caps for England, returned to United as a coach, but left in 2021 after nine years at the club.

Paul Scholes

The former midfielder now co-owns League Two club Salford City with Butt and several other ex-United team-mates, and is a regular TV pundit for BT Sport. Scholes is considered one of United’s greatest-ever players and won 11 titles at the club, the last of which came in 2013, 16 months after coming out of retirement. The Mancunian also spent a brief period managing boyhood club Oldham Athletic.

Roy Keane

The former captain has had an eventful past 18 years and departed the Red Devils under bad circumstances in 2005, before retiring a year later. He went on to manage Sunderland and Ipswich Town but has also been assistant coach at Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and the Republic of Ireland. Keane is now something of a TV sensation, where his remarks during punditry make plenty of headlines for their blunt and dismissive nature.

Ryan Giggs

August 2003 may have been Ronaldo’s first Premier League appearance, but it was Giggs’s 343rd game in the division. The Welshman hung up his boots in 2014, 23 years after making his first appearance. He went on to manage the Red Devils on an interim basis when Moyes was sacked and then was part of Louis van Gaal’s backroom staff. Now he is manager of Wales, although assistant Rob Page has acted in his place for over a year with Giggs involved in an ongoing legal case.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

This one is easy, of course- Solskjaer is now United manager and recently took charge of his 100th league game for the Red Devils. The Norwegian will be hoping Ronaldo can fire him towards a first piece of silverware since taking over the United hotseat, and challenge for a first league title since Ferguson’s departure. Soskjaer has also managed Cardiff City and Molde, the latter whom he guided to successive Norwegian titles in 2011 and 2012.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Ronaldo’s arrival, and that of Wayne Rooney’s a year later, signalled the beginning of the end for the goalscoring Dutchman at Old Trafford He netted the last of the four against Bolton in 2003, one of 150 scored for United and Van Nistelrooy went on to play for Real Madrid, Hamburg and Malaga after leaving the the Red Devils in 2006. The former striker is now a coach at PSV Eindhoven and the Dutch national team.

Eric Djemba-Djemba

The Bolton victory was also his first Premier League game, although the midfielder didn’t have as big an impact as his fellow debutant. Djemba-Djemba left United in 2005 and moved to Villa before playing in Qatar, Denmark, Israel, Serbia, Scotland, India, Indonesia and France.

Diego Forlan

A player who never excelled at Old Trafford, this was his last season at the club ahead of a 2004 move to Spain. During his time with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, Forlan established himself as one of Europe’s deadliest goalscorers and finished as La Liga top scorer in 2005 and 2009. Forlan also achieved the same feat at the 2010 World Cup with Uruguay, only this was jointly shared with other players, The striker retired in 2015 and four years later spent 10 months coaching Uruguayan side Penarol.