‘Cristiano Ronaldo has to go to America,’ says former teammate

The Saudi Pro League returns from winter break this week for the second half of the 2024/25 season. As it stands Al Ittihad are leading the league, with Al Hilal just two points behind them.

Back in fourth, 11 points off the top, are Al Nassr. The team of Cristiano Ronaldo have not lifted the championship since 2018/19 and the Portuguese star finds himself with a decision to make this summer.

CR7’s lucrative two-and-a-half-year deal expires at the end of June and he is yet to decide on his future. With 80 goals from 89 appearance for Al Nassr the Saudi club would certainly want to keep him, but a former teammate of Ronaldo’s believes that a move away would be the best thing in the twilight of his career.

Defender Wes Brown played 362 games for Manchester United, playing alongside Ronaldo in the treble-winning 2007/08 team. In an interview with The Sports Daily, Brown suggested that a move to MLS should be on the cards.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has to go to America, especially given that Lionel Messi is there as well. I’ve seen Ronaldo play a few times and the standard is impressive; he is consistently finding the back of the net and appears remarkably fit for his age, still sprinting well at 40 years old.”

Despite turning 40 next month there is little indication that Ronaldo is considering retirement any time soon. He remains a regular starter for the Portuguese national team and is still able to finish as well as nearly any forward in world soccer. Another motivating factor could be the near-mythical prospect of reaching 1,000 career goals. Before the era of Ronaldo and Messi no player had got close to hitting that milestone but now, with 916 professional goals to his name, Ronaldo has an outside chance of being the first.

That mentality and incredible longevity were cited by Brown as reasons why he may soon be looking for a fresh challenge, even at the age of 40.

“He has a burning desire to play for as long as possible, and he is a player with the privilege to choose where he wishes to play next. I don’t see him retiring anytime soon; he will keep on breaking records.”

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