Super League Rage, Ronaldo Mania and the Fight for the Soul of Man United

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2021

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When arguably the world’s most popular athlete, Cristiano Ronaldo, took the pitch this past weekend for arguably the world’s most popular soccer club, Manchester United, two truly global sports brands were reunited on the legendary pitch at Old Trafford. The same iconic stadium, that months earlier, was literally stormed by Man United supporters who were fighting against the globalization of the sport they love. Wright Thompson, who was there for Ronaldo’s return to the team he played for more than a decade ago, takes us inside the fight for the soul of Manchester United, and explains why it’s a battle that’s about much more than just a soccer club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Friedman had a pop, Woodman Spilted, and guess who's there?
0:09.0	Close your eyes and he never went away.
0:14.0	Cristiano Ronaldo has stolen back the show.
0:19.0	When arguably the world's most popular athlete took the pitch last weekend for arguably
0:24.5	the world's most popular soccer club, two overwhelmingly global entities, Christiano
0:31.0	Ronaldo and Manchester United, reunited, on the legendary grounds of Old Trafford.
0:37.9	The same place that was stormed by United supporters just months earlier in revolt against
0:43.6	the globalization of the sport they love.
0:47.5	Today, Wright Thompson, who was there for Ronaldo's return, takes us inside the fight for the
0:53.0	soul of a team and a city and the world it
0:57.5	birthed. I'm Pablo Torre. It's Friday, September 17th. This is ESPN Daily. Right, Thompson,
1:10.1	thanks for coming back on the show, my friend.
1:11.5	I appreciate it.
1:12.5	No, man, it's my pleasure.
1:14.1	So I've been waiting for this.
1:15.5	I've been waiting for this because I follow you on Instagram,
1:17.6	and I've been waiting to see what your brain would do
1:20.5	with seemingly weeks in Manchester, England, right?
1:24.5	And I was jealous.
1:26.2	I'm jealous that I didn't write this. I'm jealous that I didn't
1:28.3	get to report this. I mean, it was a privilege to be at the game just because, as you know,
1:33.6	traveling around the world, going to big sporting events that matter in the places where they're
	...

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