Tom Brady's Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired NFL comeback - an 'apology' from Manchester United

If you're a fan of the NFL and not of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers then, as a Manchester United fan, I feel I owe you an apology.

After a few months in retirement, that hadn't seen a single NFL ball thrown in the new season, Tom Brady has decided to return to the game.

In a statement on Twitter, the seven-time Super Bowl winner said: "These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now.

"I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business."

It is likely he was considering returning to the NFL before being present in the Old Trafford stands for United's 3-2 win against Tottenham, but Cristiano Ronaldo's performance at 37 may have gone a long way to confirming for Brady that age is 'just a number'.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick on the day and surpassed Joseph Bican in FIFA's all-time top scorer list to snatch the number one spot and immortalise his legacy in the history books as the greatest goalscorer of all time.

What will hurt NFL fans the most is that Ronaldo has been showing his age in recent months, only scoring three goals under Ralf Rangnick before the Spurs game and this was the first time in a while that he truly showed the goalscoring exploits that propelled him into the debate for greatest football player of all time.

In fact, recently at United, it has been quite clear that youth is the answer, with some of the best performers under Rangnick being Jadon Sancho, Diogo Dalot and Anthony Elanga, who are all under 23.

And as the NFL G.O.A.T watched on it must have stirred something within him that he might have something left to give after two decades