Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wants to play football in America after his contract with the Meringues expires in 2018. The reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner has interest in playing for a MLS club in or around the cities of Miami, Los Angeles or New York, according to Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.
Like some of the other football greats before him, the 30-year-old Ronaldo reportedly wants to play out the twilight of his career in America. After the 2018 World Cup, the same year in which his contract with Real expires, Ronaldo may make the leap to the MLS.
"File this one for down the road, but multiple sources tell me that Cristiano Ronaldo's current plan is to come to MLS after he finishes at Real Madrid, with one source saying he would likely arrive on a free transfer in 2018 once his current contract ends," Wahl wrote Tuesday. "... Ronaldo's main interest lies in cities you'd probably expect: Miami, Los Angeles and New York."
Los Angeles is home to the L.A. Galaxy, and New York has both the New York Red Bulls and the New York City FC. David Beckham is in the process of bringing an expansion team to Miami, but there're ongoing complications with securing a location for the stadium.
If Ronaldo were to transfer to MLS at the conclusion of his contract with Real, he would be 33 years old, one year older than Beckham was when he transferred to the league, but younger than Frank Lampard (37) and Steven Gerrard (35) will be when they transfer this summer.
