Cristiano Ronaldo held talks with Lionel Messi's rival club that almost snatched him from Al-Nassr after his departure from Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi came close to rekindling their famous rivalry in the United States, but it didn't happen.
When Ronaldo and Messi were at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, making for must-see television as the two superstars produced moments of magic that barely seemed believable.
Such was their dominance at the top of football, whether it was Ronaldo or Messi He won the Ballon d'Or from 2008 to 2017, although he won it three more times in the latter.
But Ronaldo's departure from Madrid in 2018 to Juventus sapped some of the star power of El Clasico and LaLiga, as Messi lost his long-time rival.
Messi was subsequently forced to leave Barcelona in 2021 due to the club's dire financial situation and moved to Paris Saint-Germain.
He would spend two years in the French capital before moving to Inter Miami of Major League Soccer (MLS), where he later met up with former Barça stars Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
As for Ronaldo, he enjoyed three years with Juventus before an emotional return to Manchester United in 2021.
However, it proved to be an unfortunate period as Ronaldo reached a breaking point in November 2022 when he criticised United manager Erik ten Hag and the club's management in An interview with Piers Morgan.
The Red Devils decided to terminate Ronaldo's contract shortly after as he became a free agent.
Ronaldo had hoped to secure a move to a European side competing in the Champions League, but it never materialised as clubs were put off by his age and wage demands.
Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr were constantly linked with Ronaldo once he became a free agent and, as history would have it, that's exactly where he landed – beating out Sporting Kansas City to secure his signature.
The Portuguese superstar moved to Al Nassr at the end of 2022, agreeing an exorbitant €200m (£177m)-a-year salary.
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However, Ronaldo could have become a sports icon in the same city as NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes if an MLS team had had its way.
Two-time MLS champion Sporting Kansas City held the discovery rights to Ronaldo, effectively giving the club a clear lead to push for a deal without interference from rival clubs.
In fact, the transfer guru Fabricius Romano Kansas City was reported to have contacted Ronaldo's team before his controversial interview with Morgan aired.
Former US international Taylor Twellman also claimed that Kansas City had made a serious effort to sign Ronaldo.
“Their offer was so compelling that Ronaldo's team had multiple meetings with SKC before agreeing to the Saudi deal,” Twellman posted on social networks in December 2022.
“The (salary/trade) package was said to be 'very close'.”
Kansas City owner Robb Heineman reposted Twellman's tweet, all but validating the report.
If Sporting KC had brought some of the famous Kansas City-style barbecue to one of the games, it might have been the incentive for the deal.
But given Ronaldo's ultra-strict, clean diet, it's unlikely he would have dabbled in Kansas City's local delicacies.
Instead, we're left wondering what would have been if Kansas City had been able to reach an agreement and add a few more years to the iconic rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo.
However, it wouldn't have lasted long as Messi has reportedly already decided where to play. He will move next once his contract with Inter Miami expires in December 2025.
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The National stated Messi will return to Argentine club Newell's Old Boys, a club he joined as a child before moving to Barcelona at the age of 13.
In an interview with El Planeta Urbano in 2016, he said: “If I return to Argentina tomorrow, which I would love to, the club I would play for would be Newell's.”
