Cristiano Ronaldo violent conduct. Real Madrid also failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to Barcelona. In the first knockout round of the Champions League, Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time. After scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, he scored the match-winning goal in a 2–1 victory at Old Trafford, his first return to his former home ground. He did not celebrate scoring against his former club as a mark of respect. Ronaldo scored three goals in Madrid's 5–3 aggregate victory over Galatasaray to see them advance to the
Cristiano Ronaldo win. Over the course of the 2002–03 season, his representatives suggested the player to Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Manager Arsène Wenger, who was interested in signing the winger, met with him at Arsenal's grounds in November to discuss a possible transfer. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, however, determined to acquire Ronaldo on a permanent move urgently, after Sporting defeated United 3–1 at the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in August 2003. Initially, United had just planned to sign Ronaldo and then loan him back to Sporting for a year. Having been impressed by him,