Why MLS Clubs Can’t Sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is at war with Al Nassr and the Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo likely won’t be joining the stars of MLS. | Matthew Stockman/Rich Storry/Clicks Images/ESTEBAN VEGA LA-ROTTA/AFP/Pedro Nasper/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

Despite being 41 years old and on the periphery of modern football, Cristiano Ronaldo still knows how to dominate headlines across the world.

The Portugal international has taken center stage over the past week after reportedly going on strike at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, rallying against what he considers a lack of ambition from the club in the transfer market when compared to the other PIF-owned teams in the country—Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Ahli.

Whether Ronaldo’s frustration is justified is another question but it was the move of his former Real Madrid clubmate Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal that seemingly pushed him over the edge. The Saudi Pro League have since issued a warning to the veteran striker, only serving to intensify rumors regarding an exit at the end of the season.

Major League Soccer has been touted as a possible destination for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner but financial complications could scupper such a switch.

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The Reason MLS Can’t Afford Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s wages are astronomical. | Fayez NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

MLS could be an attractive proposition for Ronaldo, especially considering it would allow him to renew his career-long rivalry with Lionel Messi, but his astronomical salary is what’s preventing any potential deal as things stand.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar currently pockets an obscene amount in wages, earning a staggering $4.73 million every single week at Al Nassr. That scales up to around $246 million per year and that’s excluding bonuses, which reportedly total around $50 million per year.

Such a salary can only be realistically paid in Saudi Arabia, as evidenced by Lionel Messi’s comparatively modest earnings.

Following his contract extension with Inter Miami CF back in October 2025, Messi’s guaranteed earnings stand at $20.4 million per year—less than half of just Ronaldo’s bonuses.

Messi is comfortably the highest-paid players in MLS, too. LAFC’s Son Heung-min is next in line at $11.1 million annually, after which it drops all the way down to Atlanta United’s Miguel Almirón on $7.9 million, as per MLS Players Association.

Ronaldo would be forced to reduce his wages by a colossal amount to feasibly join the division. Whether that’s something the striker would be willing to do remains to be seen but a host of MLS clubs would be desperate to snap him up in that eventuality.

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Can European Clubs Afford Cristiano Ronaldo?

Erling Haaland’s salary is a fraction of Ronaldo’s. | Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

If MLS is out of the realms of possibility for Ronaldo on his current pay scale, how about a return to Europe?

Well, it doesn’t change much. Ronaldo still earns more than any footballer competing in Europe by quite some distance and would again require an enormous pay cut to make his return to the continent.

Erling Haaland is thought to be the best-paid player in European football with gigantic wages at Manchester City, yet they still pale in comparison to Ronaldo’s. The Norwegian reportedly earns around $718,000 per week—less than a sixth of Ronaldo’s weekly wage—and is closely followed by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé on $710,000 every seven days.

Even the most renowned and lucrative leagues in European football have no chance of accommodating Ronaldo’s current salary.

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