Real Madrid superstar hints at MLS move
Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has stated that he would consider to make a move to the American football league MLS in the coming future.
The 30-year-old striker is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football having scored 340 goals in 326 appearances for Real Madrid since joining the 10-time European champions for a world-record fee of £80 million in 2009 from Manchester United.
However, speculations over Ronaldo’s future have repeatedly been in news in recent years, with a return to Premier League with his former club Manchester United or move to the French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
In an interview with GQ, Cristiano Ronaldo said he’s open to a move to @MLS in the future: https://t.co/Pzqih77Px5 pic.twitter.com/jHdtR0Tbpb
— ESPN (@espn) January 16, 2016
“What’s happening there is great, it’s fantastic. Maybe in the future will be a good chance for me to play there. You never know, but it’s something interesting,” the three-time World Player of the Year told GQ magazine.
“I consider it, of course, because, as I’ve said, soccer there has become better and better, so why not? I think that this is maybe going to be possible.I know that many players move there. I think it’s becoming better and better.
“It’s growing, I think it’s good. It’s good for me and young players that maybe one day we want to move there. So it’s good that football – ‘soccer’ – grows there.”
The Major League Soccer has captured an increasing number high-profile players to States in recent years, with the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Villa, Thierry Henry and Kaka all playing with their clubs in the United States of America.
The addition of Portuguese international would be a huge boost for MLS but any move before his contract with the Spanish champions expires would require a whopping transfer fee that would likely be out of reach for any MLS franchise.
Ronaldo, who is known to have one of the best physiques in the football world, signed a new Madrid contract in 2013 and has previously insisted that he would be happy to end his career at the Bernabeu.
Former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is expected to make a move to MLS with LA Galaxy, where he will play alongside Steven Gerrard.