Portuguese football superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to join his top rival, Lionel Messi, in the Major League Soccer after he refused to play for his current team, Al-Nassr.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo has kept up his incredible goal-scoring pace since moving to Al-Nassr in 2023, scoring 117 goals in 113 games.
A 40-year-old player, Ronaldo was strongly linked with leaving Al-Nassr in May and is said to have gotten a ‘tempting’ offer from another team in the SPL.
Ronaldo, however, decided to remain with his team, as his current contract is set to last until the summer of 2027.
However, new questions about his future in Saudi Arabia have come up this week.
Al-Nassr, who are three points behind the top team in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal, played against Al-Riyadh on Monday without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portuguese outlet A Bola said that the player’s absence is not because of an injury or illness, but because he made a deliberate choice on his own.
It is said that Ronaldo is not happy with how the Public Investment Fund is running the club and believes that other teams owned by the same group, like Al-Hilal, are getting better treatment.
Ronaldo is reportedly very upset about the feeling that Al-Nassr is not investing enough, as the club only made one new player addition during the January transfer window.
If Ronaldo’s issues lead him to leave, moving to the USA and joining the MLS is the most probable option, as suggested by the bookmakers.
Ronaldo joining any MLS team is currently at 7/4 odds, and the Portugal legend is 5/2 to come back emotionally to his old club, Sporting. There might be a chance he could move to a different club in Saudi Arabia, with the odds at 5/1. A move back to Real Madrid is priced at 10/1.
Ronaldo became a worldwide famous player during his first time at Manchester United, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League while playing at Old Trafford after joining under Sir Alex Ferguson.
At Real Madrid, Ronaldo became one of the best players ever, scoring an amazing 450 goals in 438 games for the team.