Cristiano Ronaldo warned he will ‘ruin his legacy’ if he joins Lionel Messi in MLS | OneFootball

Former New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips thinks Man Utd and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo “could ruin his legacy” by joining Lionel Messi in Major League Soccer.

Ronaldo left Man Utd at the end of 2022 following a heated fallout with Erik ten Hag as he had his contract mutually terminated after burning bridges at the Premier League giants in an infamous interview with Piers Morgan.

The 41-year-old snubbed interest from Europe to join Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr at the start of 2023.  Since then, he’s grabbed 124 goals in 139 appearances for the Middle East outfit.

There were rumours over the summer that Ronaldo was unhappy at Al Nassr after they finished third in the Saudi Pro League and lost in the AFC Champions League semi-finals, with a move to a Club World Cup team touted.

However, Ronaldo signed a new contract until June 2027 at the Saudi club with claims that his deal will worth a minimum £492m over the two-year duration.

There have been rumours that Ronaldo is thinking about ending his career in Major League Soccer alongside Messi, while the Portugal international hinted this week that there is no end in sight to his playing time as he weighs up continuing until the 2030 World Cup.

Ronaldo said: “I haven’t completely ruled out the possibility of playing in the 2030 World Cup. If I keep scoring every week at 41, maybe I could play for another four years.”

Wright-Phillips, who has scored more goals than any other European in Major League Soccer, insists Ronaldo could “ruin his legacy” by joining Messi at Inter Miami or another club in the United States.

The ex-Charlton Athletic striker told Covers.com soccer betting: “I don’t want to see Cristiano Ronaldo in MLS – it’s too late in his career now. Lionel Messi is still at a level where he can beat players one-one-one. But I’m not sure if Cristiano can still create that magic. So if he’s not in the right form, an MLS move could ruin his legacy.

“If I think about Olivier Giroud’s performances at LAFC, it was tough to watch as an Arsenal fan, because he wasn’t getting the service he needed and he was a shadow of himself, which was kind of sad.

“I’d worry the same might happen to Cristiano. If he came, it would shine a light on a league I love, but I don’t see it happening in all honesty.”

Antoine Griezmann has already agreed to line up for Orlando City next season, while Brazil legend Neymar has been linked to FC Cincinnati and Wright-Phillips is looking forward to seeing the increased quality in the league.

Wright-Phillips added: “If you have the opportunity to sign Neymar, you should take it. Of all the world-class players out there, Neymar is the most underrated. With Neymar, you get a lot of outside noise, but when he turns up, he’s at the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Neymar might not have the same impact as Messi at Inter Miami, but would be similar to Heung-Min Son’s effect at Los Angeles and, during my time, Thierry Henry’s influence in New York. These players obviously help with shirt sales and selling tickets, but the ones that really care about the game have a positive impact on the next generation of MLS players.

“Antoine Griezmann is a perfect signing too. Players that struggle when they arrive in the league are the luxury players, those that don’t really want to do the work. But Griezmann is not like that – he has a lot of qualities and he’s learned that from playing under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

“My only concern for Griezmann would be that Orlando are not doing well right now. I’m not sure if he knows what he’s getting himself into – it will certainly be a challenge for him.”