The critics were writing him off, the fans couldn’t stop trolling and the curtains had seemingly been drawn on a storied career.
But what a difference a single goal makes.
After a dreadful showing against Omonia Nicosia, Cristiano Ronaldo was ‘finished’ in the eyes of many.
Benched against Everton, the Manchester United striker once again had to contend with a role on the sidelines.
However, fate intervened.
Antony Martial picked another unfortunate injury, and on came CR7, lacking in confidence but never in resolve.
The 37-year-old latched onto a through ball from Casemiro, reigniting an age-old connection, it was just meant to be.
After rifling it past Pickford, Ronaldo thanked God underneath the Goodison lights, #700 had finally arrived.
His 700th career club goal took him 9 ahead of rival Leo Messi (691), the figures are nothing short of bonkers.
An accolade such as this simply deserved a celebration and turns out the club had something in mind.
The dressing room at Carrington was decorated with balloons of the number, and the squad came together for a picture alongside the main man.
Numerous players reposted the picture and added congratulatory messages.
However, United Goalkeeper David De Gea opted for a more humorous approach and sarcastically tweeted out ‘Just 700?’.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Football Twitter can’t take a joke.
His attempt backfired big-time, as fans in his replies began alluding to the number of goals he has conceded (697).
Furthermore, the comments section soon became an outlet for United fans to take out their frustrations with the goalkeeper.
Often slammed for his lacklustre abilities on the ball, the 31-year-old isn’t exactly the most popular figure amongst fans online.
And his attempted joke ended up inviting even more slander.
In general, the trolling seemed far too petty, after all, it was only a harmless joke.
The replies just go on to show how ruthless Football Twitter can be, once you’re on the radar, every bit of activity will invite a horde of disgruntled fans.