Portugal national team and Real Madrid goal-scoring machine Cristiano Ronaldo gives American football fans something to look forward to in the future following reports that he interested in playing in Major League Soccer as early as 2018. And as expected, this particular news prompted football fans to ask the question on whether Lionel Messi will follow the footsteps of his rival and play in the MLS at some point in his career.
Messi, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner, has been synonymous to Barcelona ever since he started his professional football career at Camp Nuo. Blessed with out of this world skills-set, Messi shattered almost every existing record in both domestic in European football history, keeping Barcelona's mantle of dominance intact.
Although it looks like smooth-sailing marriage between Messi and Barcelona on the surface, the football star's relationship with his mother club has slowly worn down over the years. Last offseason, Messi was reportedly on the verge of leaving Camp Nuo to begin a new chapter in the English Premier League.
Barcelona and Messi himself downplayed the reports and insisted their commitment with each other has remained solid rock. However, several sources close to situation indicated that Messi has been eager to leave Spain in the wake of the tax evasion case filed against him and his father.
Outside the Bundes Liga, Italia Serie A, EPL and two more Euro leagues, MLS is the next most desirable destination for football superstars per NBC Sports. David Beckham, though at the twilight of his career, made a bold move to take his talent across the Atlantic Ocean and sign a lucrative deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham's move proved to be the turning point of MLS's rise as a major sports league in North America, as an influx of European football legends such as Theirry Henry, Rafael Marquez, Kaka, and now David Villa followed his footsteps that led them to the United States' football scene.
If the Sports Illustrated report on Ronaldo's possible American stint proves to be true, he might probably be on his way of doing what Beckham did years ago, ushering a new era in MLS history. While Messi is going to have tons of option outside staying put in Barca, a stint in the MLS may no longer be a crazy idea as it used to be before.