The MLS has seen an influx of Premier League talent in recent years, including but not limited to one-time stars David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Thierry Henry. Most recently, aging elites Andrea Pirlo and Didier Drogba signed pacts with MLS teams. While most of the players who have signed on in North America are well past their prime, it seems another player could be set to join them who very well could still be enjoying the latter portion of the better years of his game when he makes the leap. Cristiano Ronaldo, one of, if not the outright best player in the world, is reportedly the object of obsession of still-developing MLS franchise, LAFC, according to a report from the UK's the Daily Mirror.
"There seems to be an obsession in LA with landing Ronaldo," a source told MirrorFootball. "The league will be even stronger by then. He'd be a franchise player for them and truly announce their arrival, and they think they can sell him the 'American Dream'."
According to the report, Ronaldo has visited Los Angeles many times previously and views it as a "viable market for brand expansion." Ronaldo is also said to be open to a move to the U.S. after his European career comes to a close.
The new Los Angeles franchise won't come into being until the 2018 season, at which point the team's wealthy backers - backers which include Magic Johnson, Vincent Tan and Tom Penn - will look to bring aboard both Ronaldo, who the Mirror suggests they are "obsessed" with obtaining, as well as Wayne Rooney. Per the Mirror, they believe that no matter what happens in the next few years, they will get Ronaldo.
Also per the Mirror, there are already early-stage plans in place to make Ronaldo, 30, the franchise's first designated player. A designated player can be paid outside a team's salary cap, a rule which has already allowed MLS teams to lure European stars, if mostly in name and not in play, to the U.S. league.