Could the reigning FIFA player of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, be the latest international star contemplating a move to MLS?
According to a report in French outlet Telefoot, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes said a move stateside by the Real Madrid star and Portugal captain may be possible when his newly signed contract at the Santiago Bernabeu is up in 2018.
"After that, perhaps he will go to the United States. Only God knows what will happen," Mendes said in the report.
Mendes indicated the 29-year-old Ronaldo could follow in the footsteps of England captain Steven Gerrard, who announced Saturday that he’s headed to MLS at the end of Liverpool's season this summer.
The agent also refuted rumors that Ronaldo, who made a $132-million move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009, would sign with French club Paris Saint-Germain after the Real Madrid deal is up.
Ronaldo, who Mendes called “best player in history," helped lead Real Madrid to their record 10th UEFA Champions League crown in 2014, setting the single-tournament scoring record along the way. He was less successful in last summer's World Cup, as Portugal were eliminated in the group stage -- though his last-second cross did lead to an equalizer against the US in a 2-2 draw.
The Real Madrid star is arguably in the best form of his life at the moment, having scored 26 times in 15 La Liga matches and 33 times in 26 games across all competitions in the 2014/15 season. He'll hope to win his second straight FIFA Ballon d'Or awarded to the best player in the world on January 12 in Zurich.
