Throughout his nearly two-decade career in professional football, Cristiano Ronaldo has demonstrated his extraordinary ability to adapt and shine in all the leagues where he has played, regardless of their differences. But his journey to Saudi Arabia may not be the last stop for his extraordinary career.
Although it seemed that way, a series of statements from his former teammate Gary Neville sparked speculation about a ‘last dance’ for the Portuguese star’s career, in none other than MLS and the arguments are at least valid.
In his appearance on a sports program, the former Manchester United player said that MLS could be the ‘final chapter’ of his legendary career, once his contract with Al-Nassr ends. “All that’s left is MLS, right?”, Neville asked. But the question makes a lot of sense because of what it would mean to have the two most important legends of the present century in soccer back in the same competition.
On this, Neville explained that Cristiano Ronaldo’s next step would be to focus on “doing what he does best” and there is no better place to do that than in a league full of glamour and star appeal, so all the speculation is more than logical to prolong his playing career and help shape the soccer culture in this country, which went crazy with the arrival of Lionel Messi last summer.
What would MLS be like with Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi together again?
MLS has become a haven for European stars nearing retirement and includes big names such as David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but who have made a great contribution to the development of the league. While for Cristiano, it would allow him to continue competing at the highest level.
While ‘El Bicho’ remains reserved about his future after the Saudi Pro League, markets such as Los Angeles and New York, two of the most important cities in the sport, sound ideal for a global legend like Cristiano: LA Galaxy, LAFC, NYCFC and New York Red Bulls, have the infrastructure, the market and, above all, the resources to sign him. While Cristiano would not be just another player in those cities, but the star of the city, as happened with Messi in Miami.
In addition, playing re-editions of the rivalry Cristiano vs Messi, when everything indicates that the Argentine will be the new champion of the league, would give a great attraction to these matches worldwide, at the level of the Spanish Clasico.
Wherever the Portuguese star decides to continue playing, his arrival would be an exciting presence wherever he goes, as he is one of the greatest of all time in soccer.