Cristiano Ronaldo could join Lionel Messi in MLS as U.S. football valuations soar and Peterborough owner eyes American club

Cristiano Ronaldo, set to be a free agent in summer 2025, might retire or move to a new club. Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony plans to buy a USL team, citing growing interest in American soccer due to players like Messi and upcoming major events.

Chirag

July 24, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi — Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images and JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images

With Cristiano Ronaldo set to become a free agent at Al-Nassr in the summer of 2025, speculation is growing about whether the 39-year-old will retire or pursue another move. Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has revealed his intention to purchase a club in the United Soccer League (USL), which operates below MLS, citing the increasing appeal of North American soccer due to players like Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.

MacAnthony told talkSPORT that football’s growth in the U.S. is significant. “Massively. I’m going to buy a USL club potentially in the next two years because I think with the World Cup on the horizon and the Olympics on the horizon out there, it’s already becoming a top-four sport. Parents are spending fortunes sending their eight, nine and ten-year-olds to weekend camps of football, money is going into it. They still have it wrong in MLS where they don’t have a pyramid. If somebody in the MLS convinces those owners to open up the pyramid like we have in England, that would be the second-most watched football around the world.”

He continued, “I believe valuations are taking off in the next ten years with the Apple deal with the Messi effect and Cristiano Ronaldo will probably go out there when he’s finished in Saudi Arabia. Football will be on the map in America in a big way and I believe if I get a USL club right now for £8-10million, even though it’s not in MLS, that could be worth double or triple in the next five years.”

Ronaldo and Messi, at 39 and 37 respectively, are key figures in the Saudi Pro League and MLS. However, their futures remain uncertain. Messi’s presence in MLS and the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the U.S. are significantly boosting soccer’s profile. If Ronaldo were to join Messi in the MLS, it could further elevate the league’s popularity.

Meanwhile, as Peterborough gears up for the new League One season next month, Messi is sidelined with an ankle injury, and Ronaldo is currently on summer break following the Euros.