Superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo completed his move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Friday. The former Manchester United player made the move as a free agent after leaving the Premier League side last month.
While the transfer news isn’t exactly shocking, Ronaldo almost signed with a Major League Soccer team.
ESPN’s Taylor Twellman reported that Sporting Kansas City made a big effort to sign Ronaldo. The club held multiple meetings with the Portuguese international and a financial package was almost agreed between the two parties.
Ronaldo will reportedly earn around $200 million per season in his next contract with Al Nassr.
MLS insider Tom Bogert has also claimed that Sporting KC had discovery rights when attempting to sign Ronaldo. This meant they had a clear path to potentially bring the forward to Kansas City.
Team owners also compared a superstar playing in a small market to Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes currently plays for the Kansas City NFL team and is widely considered one of the best players in the league. Ronaldo was reportedly receptive to this comparison.
However, the Portuguese forward chose to go with the Saudi club. “I am lucky to have won everything I set out to win in European football and now I feel that this is the right time to share my experience in Asia,” Ronaldo after signing his contract with Al Nassr on Friday.
The American league misses a great opportunity to showcase a new superstar
MLS will have to wait to sign a foreign superstar for now. The American league previously brought David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Wayne Rooney, Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Lionel Messi may be the next possible big asset for an American soccer club. The World Cup winner will most likely walk away from Paris Saint-Germain in the next year or two.
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