Cristiano Ronaldo To Join The MLS In Los Angeles?
By Pablo Jacobo
Cristiano Ronaldo is considered one the best soccer players in the world alongside Lionel Messi. A worldwide figure known for his impressive ball-dribbling displays on the pitch for storied powerhouse clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid. The increasing popularity of the MLS seems to intrigue the 30-year-old footballer. Could Ronaldo take his talents to Los Angeles?
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Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated mentioned that multiple sources close to him have Ronaldo strongly considering a move to the U.S. at the end of his Real Madrid contract in 2018. Presumably after the World Cup tournament which will be played in Russia also in 2018. Cities that interest Ronaldo are Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Many football stars have already made the jump to the MLS. Frank Lampard, Kaka and David Villa are just some of the new additions Major League Soccer has unveiled this season. Steven Gerrard will join the L.A. Galaxy in the summer.
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The majority of these star players make the jump to the U.S. because they’ve past their primes in European competition. That’s not to diminish the competition in the MLS, but it’s nowhere near the level of European soccer. American soccer has increased its level of play in recent years. Evident with the U.S. National team as their impressive showings at various tournaments have opened the eyes of the rest of the World.
Ronaldo, a three-time Ballon d’Or winner, would be 33 if he made the move to the MLS in 2018. The L.A. Galaxy should not be counted out as a potential suitor for Ronaldo. A team to keep an eye on is LAFC, the new MLS franchise in Los Angeles that will debut in 2017.
A team to keep an eye on is LAFC, the new MLS franchise in Los Angeles that will debut in 2017.
LAFC was announced last year when Chivas U.S.A. ceased to exist. Shortly after their demise, a 21-person coalition led by venture capitalist Henry Nguyen, Mandalay Entertainment Chairman and CEO Peter Guber, and former NBA executive Tom Penn unveiled the birth of LAFC. Prominent L.A. figures also involved include Magic Johnson, Women’s soccer legend Mia Hamm and L.A. Dodgers analyst Nomar Garciaparra.
The LAFC brass promised a soccer-specific stadium in the greater Los Angeles area. What better way to make an impact than the signing of Ronaldo. He’s the second highest-paid athlete in the World according to Forbes. He’s the most liked person on Facebook according to goal.com. He’s won every individual award imaginable in the sport. Not to mention all the endorsement deals he currently has. Safe to say, those deals will increase significantly if he moves to Los Angeles.
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The club is rumored to be negotiating with Ghanaian stars Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke) and Sulley Muntari (AC Milan). Those are nice additions but miniscule to a player of Ronaldo’s caliber. The economic turnout would be exponentially higher with Ronaldo. His mere presence would be equal to the likes of a Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning and/or LeBron James.
The MLS has expanded since their opening kick-off in 1994. They started with ten teams and currently have 20 franchises throughout the nation. By 2017, they are slated to have 23 teams in the league. The MLS’ goal is to have 24 teams by 2020 which would give the United States the largest soccer division in the World. In today’s league 15 of 20 stadiums in the U.S. are soccer specific venues. The popularity of soccer is gradually increasing each year. Adding more well-known soccer stars will only help its cause.
At this point Ronaldo’s impending arrival to the MLS is purely speculative. From now to 2018 when he’s a free agent, many things can transpire. Make no mistake, whether it’s the L.A. Galaxy or LAFC, both will be major players in the Ronaldo sweepstakes when he’s available.