If selected against Leeds this weekend, Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo will set a Premier League record for a player’s longest gap between games against a specific opponent.
To explain in more detail, the Portuguese phenomenon last appeared against our Yorkshire rivals all the way back on 18 October 2003, during a 1-0 win at Elland Road thanks to a Roy Keane goal.
When this Sunday’s fixture comes around, that will have been 18 years and 125 days ago!Of course, it feels like Ronaldo breaks a record of some sort every time he plays, but this latest statistical nugget from Opta is genuinely remarkable and highlights his incredible longevity.
RONALDO’S TEAM-MATES THAT DAY
This is the side that Sir Alex Ferguson selected against Leeds back in 2003: United: Howard, G Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Fortune (O’Shea 40), Fletcher (Forlan 60), Keane, P Neville, Ronaldo (Butt 90), Scholes, Van Nistelrooy.
Subs Not Used: Carroll, Djemba-Djemba.You may have already noticed that Ronaldo is the only member of the squad who is still playing professionally today, although Darren Fletcher is still at the club in his role as Technical Director