In the news|March 19, 2015 11:32 EDT
Cristiano Ronaldo 2015 News, Rumors: Football Megastar to Transition into MLS?
David Beckham, Kaka, David Villa, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard are among football's biggest names that made the move to America to play in the MLS. In a few years, football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo could be added on to that list, according to Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated.
Wahl's report claims that according to multiple sources, Ronaldo's current plan is to move to the MLS after he finishes at Real Madrid, citing one source that said the Portuguese would likely arrive on a free transfer in 2018 when the explosive striker's current contract ends.
Should that scenario play out, Ronaldo would be fresh off a World Cup stint, and would be 33-years-old. In comparison, Beckham was 32 when he played for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Lampard will be 37, while Gerrard, 35, when the two Englishmen arrive in the States this summer.
Ronaldo, as expected, is reportedly setting his sights on Miami, Los Angeles, and New York. New York and Los Angeles is poised to have two clubs by 2018, with rumors saying that Beckham is in line to co-own a team in the coming years.
As FC Yahoo notes, the reputation of Major League Soccer as a retirement league looks to stay with the possibility of Ronaldo's move in three years.
Ronaldo is a three-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner, nabbing the award the past two years. He has been playing with Real Madrid since 2009. His current contract, which he renewed in 2013 runs through the 2017-2018 season.
In the ongoing 2014-2015 season, Ronaldo has scored a total of 41 goals, with 30 coming in his La Liga play, and eight in the UEFA Champions League.
In 24 games for Real Madrid in the 2014-2015 Spanish Primera Division alone, the flamboyant striker has scored 30 goals, while assisting on 11 others.