MLS Clubs Express Interest in Cristiano Ronaldo: Four Potential Destinations—Ranked

Turmoil at Al Nassr could result in Cristiano Ronaldo looking for a new club in the near future.

Cristiano Ronaldo could be on the lookout for a new career chapter. | Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future with Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr is very much up in the air, and Major League Soccer has appeared as a potential escape route for the legendary Portuguese to find a new home.

The previously emphatic supporter and face of the Saudi Pro League has made his frustration abundantly clear over what he considers as favoritism of bitter rivals Al Hilal, who recently signed former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad, much to Ronaldo’s fury.

Not everyone has shown sympathy for Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr following a turbulent second farewell from Manchester United back in Dec. 2022. Still, Ronaldo leaving the Saudi Pro League remains a purely speculative matter at this point, but reports suggest the 41-year-old legendary attacker is at least considering his future.

Furthermore, MLS teams have already began circling, making initial inquiries with Ronaldo’s camp regarding a potential move to the United States, per The Times.

Although there’s nothing concrete as of now, and any potential move would likely require Ronaldo to take a significant pay-cut, here are four potential MLS clubs that could land the all-time great, ranked in order of feasibility.

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4. Inter Miami

Is a potential Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo reunion in South Florida potentially in the cards? | Rich Storry/Getty Images

It couldn’t be ... could it?

Ronaldo sharing a dressing room with longtime arch rival Lionel Messi has long been a fantasy shared by millions of fans across the world. The image of the two era-defining players celebrating together on the same team seemed unrealistic for decades, but could Inter Miami be the place where fantasy becomes reality?

Had Ronaldo’s recent tantrum that made his future murky happened just a few weeks ago, Miami would’ve been much higher on the list. The Herons had a vacant designated player spot available in the aftermath of Jordi Alba’s and Sergio Busquets’s retirements, but that spot has since been filled by Mexico national team striker Germán Berterame.

This addition leave the reigning MLS champions with little room for maneuver when it comes to trying to add Ronaldo—or any other high-profile player.

Nevertheless, David Beckham and the rest of Miami’s hierarchy have been known to engineer creative ways to build and reinforce their roster ever since Messi joined the club in 2023, and this could be an opportunity too enticing to simply let pass by without exploring every potential alternative to make it happen.

Still, would both players be open to the idea of playing together, sharing the same spotlight? Likely not. That, compounded with the existing restraints the Herons would have to work around make this absolute fantasy move stay in the realm of fantasy for now.

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3. Sporting Kansas City

Sporting Kansas City made a push to sign Cristiano Ronaldo the last time he was available. | William Purnell/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

When Ronaldo was looking for his next club after Manchester United in 2022, Sporting Kansas City actively pursued him before he ultimately moved to Al Nassr. Four years later, they could rekindle that interest in an effort to return to prominence.

Sporting Kansas City are one of the most iconic and folkloric MLS franchises, yet are coming off a dreadful 2025 that saw them finish last in the Western Conference standings.

Recently, the club underwent a historic ownership change and the plan is for the team to rediscover the success enjoyed during the early 2010s. Kansas City crucially holds Ronaldo’s discovery rights after they attempted to sign him in 2022–23, and what better way for new majority owner Peter Mallouk to make a statement of intent than to land one of the greatest players of all time.

Although Kansas City have an open DP spot, they’re in desperate need of a substantial rebuild, which could thwart any attempt to sign Ronaldo. Plus, the idea of the spotlight and glamour-craving star spending his final career act living in Missouri is too surreal to even put into words.

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2. San Diego FC

San Diego FC topped the Wester Conference during the 2025 regular season. | Courtesy of San Diego FC

Despite having just one MLS season under their belt, San Diego FC are already a very attractive destination for players from all over the world giving their thriving and booming location and already strong results.

Under manager Mikey Varas, San Diego made a run to the Western Conference final in what was a very impressive inaugural MLS season in 2025. The team is already brimming with potential and Ronaldo could be the final piece needed to unleash a modern-era MLS juggernaut.

Furthermore, record signing and San Diego’s first ever DP player, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, isn’t part of the plans moving forward. Lozano’s departure appears to be a matter of time, making even more room—San Diego already have a vacant DP spot open as it is—for a major acquisition.

Mohamed Salah’s name has been thrown around in the past, which is further indication that San Diego are looking to land a big fish. If Ronaldo were to come available, then the young border-city MLS club could emerge as a major player in the race to acquire the legendary Portuguese.

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1. LAFC

Cristiano Ronaldo could join Denis Bouanga (left) and Son Heung-min at LAFC. | Aaron Baker/Icon SportswireGetty Images

LAFC has become a magnet for superstar talents ever since the club’s inception nearly a decade ago. Could Ronaldo join the likes of Gareth Bale, Hugo Lloris, Giorgio Chiellini on the list of former elite European soccer stars who land at BMO Stadium? It’s certainly possible.

LAFC have a vacant DP spot readily available if they wanted to pursue Ronaldo and it’s easy to imagine him spearheading the team’s attack, flanked by Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min. It would certainly make LAFC the best attack in all of MLS and having that supporting cast would increase Ronaldo’s chances of reaching the 1,000-goal milestone he seems obsessed with securing before the end of his career.

Then, there’s the Los Angeles factor and Hollywood. It’s a city that craves for stars like him, and it’s an environment where you could easily see him thriving in.

Ronaldo landing at LAFC could open up a dream scenario for MLS. Once there, the prospect of and MLS Cup final against Messi’s Miami would become very real. Two of the biggest markets in the league, in opposite Conferences, headlined by the protagonists of the greatest individual soccer rivalry in history, battling for the MLS title ... the culmination of what MLS has strived for..

LAFC simply makes too much sense as the MLS club that best suits Ronaldo, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the swansong of the greatest goalscorer of all time comes with him donning the black and gold shirt in the City of Angels.

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