Over recent years in the Premier League, we have seen so many talented young players who have graced us with their immense ability and goalscoring talents, but none more so than Cristiano Ronaldo. 

At the tender age of 17-years-old, and a mere two weeks after impressing football scouts worldwide with his performance in a friendly against Manchester United, the Portuguese youngster was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for a fee of around £12.2m.

This deal was scheduled to happen 12 months later, but after his performance alerted the presence of AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid, Sir Alex knew he needed to act quickly in order to bring this mesmerising talent to the Premier League.

After asking for his former shirt number 28, Ronaldo was given the iconic number seven shirt at Old Trafford, and he quickly learned what this number meant to the fans. Their heroes such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham had worn this short over the years and gained many fans utmost respect through brilliant performances and great goals. Ronaldo knew he had to adapt instantly to the Barclays Premier League.

In August 2003, Ferguson handed the fragile youngster his debut as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers, where for 30 minutes he dazzled fans and defenders alike with his quick-feet and silky skills, and became an instant hit.

Although Ronaldo would soon realise that the Premier League was not all about tricks and skill, and after several harsh fouls and lunges which left him with scars and bruises to his legs, he would soon understand that he needs to be a lot more physically demanding on the pitch and become the main focal point of their attacks.

Fast forward to 2006, Ronaldo was now a first-team regular at Old Trafford, having already featured in over 100 matches. He was now twice the player he was back in 2003, and most notable his sheer physical shape had totally changed: he was bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before.

He had also worked harder on his footwork and passing ability, ready to terrorise defenders once again. The boy was now a man and this was down to pure determination and many days of practice on the training ground.

His outstanding technical ability caught the attention of everybody during the season of 2006-07, and his free-kicks were now something to be admired. He had got the whole world wondering how he made the ball dip and swerve multiple times in the air, confusing goalkeepers all across the Premier League and Europe - this was a skill that many footballers have tried, and they have all failed to replicate. 

Ronaldo played 53 matches during the season of 2006-07, scoring an impressive 23 goals from midfield, ranging from free-kicks and penalties, to long-range goals and headers. He was becoming the full package, a real force in world football.

His personal honours for the season included 'PFA Players' Player of the Year', 'PFA Young Players' Player of the Year' 'PFA Fans' Player of the Year' and 'FWA Footballer of the Year award' thus becoming the first ever player to win all four major trophies.

Ronaldo was now being named as one of the best players in the world, by many football fans around the globe, and in his 2007-08 season with Manchester United we saw the Portuguese sensation firing an all cylinders.

He netted a total of 42 goals in all competitions, including 31 in the Premier League which saw him finish the league as top goalscorer. He was named 'Champions League best forward' and 'Champions League Player of the Tournament', as well as finishing as the top scorer with eight goals.

Later in 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo would be named the Ballon d'Or winner, after finishing second the previous year to a certain Lionel Messi. This had caught the serious attention of Spanish giants, Real Madrid, who were a long awaited dream of Cristiano's - and he made it no secret he would love to play for such an illustrious club if they came in with an offer.

Reports suggested Ronaldo asked Ferguson if he could leave Old Trafford, and sign for his boyhood dream team Real Madrid, but Ferguson convinced Ronaldo to stay for another 12 months.

Many fans believed Ronaldo would under-perform during the 2008-09 season due to his links with Real Madrid, and feared he may not put in his best performances. They were wrong. Cristiano continued to give it his all for the club, finishing the season with a goal every two matches, a very impressive stat for someone who wants to leave the club.

The highlight of his season was his stunning 40-yard goal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, later claiming it to be "the best goal I have ever scored" and also becoming the first ever player to win the 'FIFA Puskas Award' for the best goal of the year.

In June 2009, Manchester United accepted an outrageous bid of £80m from Real Madrid, and Ronaldo had received his wish to leave and join the Spanish club.

Ronaldo had won three Premier League trophies, two League Cups, one Champions League winners' medal, one FA Cup, one FA Community Shield and a FIFA Club World Cup trophy. Memories he will never forget, at a club which drew the real potential from such a fragile, but promising young individual.

In conclusion, during his very impressive six-year stint at Manchester United, we saw a young teenage kid, mature, grow, and evolve into the most expensive football player the word has ever seen. A true indication of the pure talent and ability which he possesses.

José Mourinho has publicly revealed that one of his summer transfer targets is Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. However, since the Portuguese's return to Stamford Bridge, a move for Gonzalo Higuaín has not been ruled out.

It now seems the latter option may be the most likely as United appears reluctant to sell the England international to Chelsea.

It is no secret that Higuaín's other alternative is Napoli, whose club president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has revealed his interest in the Argentine striker and, according to Thursday's edition of 'Corriere dello Sport', the club is preparing a €30-million bid after the sale of Cavani to PSG for €64 million.

The word at Real Madrid is that Fabio Coentrao is more likely to leave than to stay at the club. The Portuguese full back's time at Madrid appears to be coming to an end and his absence from two days of training sessions, due to personal reasons - the club's official version - back this up, although he did train on Thursday afternoon with the squad.

Coentrao missed both training on Wednesday and Thursday's morning session at the Valdebebas complex.

The Portuguese has been under the fans' spotlight ever since he joined the club, due to both his performances on the field and the odd controversial off-the-field incident.

The high transfer fee paid by Real in 2011 (€30 million) to buy Coentrao from Benfica has also been a burden on the player during his two seasons at the club. In addition, the departure of José Mourinho - his number-one fan - could be another decisive factor which could see the player pack his bags.

All this - plus the fact that Coentrao stated that he did not feel comfortable at the club at the end of last season - indicates that his departure would be best for both parties and an agreement should soon be reached for a player who is still highly rated around Europe.

The PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, still longs to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. "I wish him the best. I know he has two more years on his contract with Real Madrid. I have an excellent relationship with Florentino. If I want my dream of signing Cristiano Ronaldo to come true, I'll call him," he assured in an interview with 'L'Équipe'.

The Qatari also remarked on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's situation and closed the door on the possibility of the Swede leaving. "Ibra is staying at PSG. The project is going to move forward with him, that's for sure," he said. Rumours claim that the player has expressed a desire to continue with Ancelotti and therefore wanted to sign for Real Madrid.

Meanwhile, Al-Khelaifi attempted to bury the issue of Thiago Silva once and for all in statements to actusports.fr: "If Barça pays Silva's buy-out clause, I'll pay Messi's."

"They question our credibility, but we signed Cavani. Lots of clubs wanted him. Our objective is to win the Champions League within four years," the sheikh said with respect to PSG's project.

Carlo Ancelotti has joined Madrid and found Cristiano Ronaldo in great shape. Both the technical staff and his teammates have been impressed with his exceptional level at the start of pre-season training – intense, agile and more competitive than the rest of the players in Real Madrid's first team.

During the first sessions of the club's next stage, he has become the example to follow within the 'Blancos' dressing room, both physically and mentally. The new trainer and his assistants have implemented intense exercises with the ball during early training sessions, so the players can get back into top shape. And the forward has been really enjoying them.

Fast moving and always available to receive the ball, with instant control from the first touch and great speed, the 'Madeira Magician' knows this will be a very important season for him and his team. After being knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals for three years in a row, Real Madrid has to bounce off the ropes fighting hard for the team's much sought after 'Décima' – its tenth European Cup title. And if it is to get to this important milestone, then Ronaldo needs to be at his very best.

During the second training session of this pre-season session, Cristiano Ronaldo showed his level of commitment and his competitive side. Ancelotti had to calm the Portuguese down after he got angry when one of his teammates had held him back during a training drill with the ball.

Real Madrid will leave on a tour to the United States in the beginning of August, with a pack of 4 games scheduled for the first 10 days of the month. They'll debut in Phoenix on August 1, against David Beckham's former team, the LA Galaxy. A couple days later, on August 3, Real Madrid is set to face either Juventus or Everton (in Los Angeles), depending on how the tournament unfolds until that point. On August 6 or 7, the Merengues will play again (in Miami), but their opponent's name is still unknown by now, since it will also depend on how the other teams competing will perform in this International Champions Cup. The US tour will be closed with a game against Inter Milan in Saint Louis, on August 10, just one week before the official season kicks off in Spain.

There's still an 8th friendly match agended for the upcoming season (the Santiago Bernabéu trophy game), but it will only take place deep in August. Real Madrid will play against Raúl Gonzalez current club, Al-Sadd, and the game will is scheduled for August 22.

1. Keep Cristiano Ronaldo fit and happy

This seems like the most obvious one but is perhaps the most vital challenge for Carlo Ancelotti. Ronaldo had well-known problems at the Bernabeu last year, refusing to even celebrate on one occasion.

It was clear that he was not performing at his best during that time. Being Madrid’s best player by far, it is vital that Ancelotti ensures Ronaldo is happy and fit in order to challenge in Europe.

2. Buy a centre-back

With Pepe’s recent injury problems, along with his lack of discipline, Madrid are left extremely thin in the centre-back department, while Raphael Varane’s inexperience and Raul Albiol’s lack of playing time can be exposed by the best forwards in Europe.

Playing Sergio Ramos at centre-back may also mean playing Alvaro Arbeloa, who is often cited as the weak link of the Madrid defence, at right-back.

3. Buy Gareth Bale

Having just turned 24, Bale has his best years ahead of him and can form a lethal partnership with Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil upfront for Madrid.

Depending on the formation that Ancelotti plays at Madrid, Bale can either line up behind Ronaldo or on the other side of him. Whichever way he chooses to play, this trio would strike fear in any defence throughout Europe.

4. Look towards the Castilla

The Real Madrid academy has produced club icons such as Guti, Raul Gonzalez and current club captain Iker Casillas, but has been notoriously ignored by recent managers, especially Mourinho.

By re-signing one of their academy graduates from Bayer Leverkusen, Madrid have shown that they are willing to look towards their own once more.

Daniel Carvajal proved himself as one of the best right-backs in the Bundesliga last year and should replace Arbeloa in the starting line-up if Sergio Ramos is unavailable or playing at centre-back.

5. Play enterprising football

The Bernebau faithful have made one thing clear in the past few years: boring football will not be tolerated, with relatively successful managers such as Juande Ramos, Jose Mourinho and Fabio Capello all paying the price of playing pragmatic football.

Very few teams are able to win anything without the support of their fans and Ancelotti will only keep the support of Madrid fans if he captures their imagination with exciting football.

Carlo Ancelotti kick-started his reign at Real Madrid with a message that reached each and every player, words that were well-received by a dressing room whose relationship with the previous technical team had broken down last season and which contains players who had public disagreements with Mourinho and others who unconditionally sided with the Portuguese manager.

The chat took place at around 17:00, just before the evening training session, when the new coach gathered together the 23 players he has at his disposal (Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa and Jesé were absent) and the Italian's coaching staff, with the notable absence of Zidane.

Ancelotti is fully aware of what happened under his predecessor, especially during his last season. He knows the good and the bad. He is taking over a squad whose morale took a knock, in which most of the stars had distanced themselves from an extremely charismatic coach like Mourinho.

Carletto's message had to be as clear, honest and positive as possible for it to have the desired effect, which is none other than to appear approachable and receptive, but demanding with regards to what he expects on a day-to-day basis. His success is his players' success and vice-versa.