Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi came agonizingly close to reigniting their famous rivalry in America, but it was not to be.
When Ronaldo and Messi played for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, the two superstars’ games were must-sees on television because they created almost unbelievable, magical moments.
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Such was their dominance at the top of football that from 2008 to 2017, either Ronaldo or Messi won the Ballon d’Or, with the latter winning it three more times.
But Ronaldo’s departure from Madrid to Juventus in 2018 robbed El Clasico and La Liga of some star power as Messi lost his long-time rival.
Messi was forced to leave Barcelona later in 2021 due to the club’s precarious financial situation and joined Paris Saint-Germain.
He stayed in the French capital for two years before moving to Major League Soccer (MLS) team Inter Miami, where he later reunited with former Barca stars Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, enjoyed three years at Juventus before making an emotional return to Manchester United in 2021.
It was an unfortunate outing, however, as Ronaldo reached his lowest 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 shortly afterwards to terminate Ronaldo’s contract as he became a free agent.
Ronaldo had hoped to move to a European team playing in the Champions League, but that never happened as his age and salary demands put off clubs.
Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr were constantly linked with Ronaldo after he became a free agent, and as history would have it, that’s exactly where he ended up – beating Sporting Kansas City to sign him.
The Portuguese superstar moved to Al Nassr at the end of 2022 and agreed on a staggering salary of 200 million euros [£177m] per year.
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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 prevailed.
Two-time MLS champions Sporting Kansas City owned the disclosure rights to Ronaldo, giving the club virtually free rein to push through a deal without interference from rival clubs.
In fact, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that Kansas City had contacted Ronaldo’s camp before his controversial interview with Morgan was broadcast.
Former US international Taylor Twellman also claimed that Kansas City was seriously trying to sign Ronaldo.
“Their offer was so compelling that Ronaldo’s team had several meetings with SKC before accepting the Saudi deal,” Twellman posted on social media in December 2022.
“The overall package (wages/advertising) was said to be ‘very close.’”
Kansas City owner Robb Heineman reposted Twellman’s tweet, effectively confirming the report.
If only Sporting KC had brought some of its famous Kansas City-style barbecue to one of the meetings, that would have been the icing on the cake of the deal.
But given Ronaldo’s extremely strict and healthy diet, it is unlikely that he would have tried the local specialties of Kansas City.
Instead, we are left wondering what could have been if Kansas City had reached an agreement and extended the legendary rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo for a few more years.
However, it would not have taken long, as Messi has reportedly already decided where he will move next once his contract with Inter Miami expires in December 2025.
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El Nacional claimed that Messi would return to Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, the club he joined as a boy before moving to Barcelona at the age of 13.
In an interview with El Planeta Urbano in 2016, he said: “If I were to return to Argentina tomorrow, which I would love to do, I would play for the Newell’s club.”