David Beckham is an ambitious man.
Sure, some may have criticized his decision to move from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 at a time when the American league was significantly weaker than it is now, but he did see out the end of his career at a storied European club by winning Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain.
Now, his ambition is focused on ownership and management. As part of a deal in his original contract with the MLS, he will be launching a club in Miami by 2017, and Beckham is hoping to make Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo his first superstar signing, according to a Sunday story in the Metro.
It is hard to believe that in only three years time, the current Ballon d’Or winner will have had his fill of embarrassing other European clubs, but the Metro reported that Ronaldo loves the United States and is looking to finish his career in the MLS. He would not be the first world-class player to go Stateside in his twilight years — Thierry Henry continues to impress for the New York Red Bulls.
The Metro quotes an unnamed MLS source as saying that the former England midfielder wants Ronaldo to start his team off in dynamic fashion.
“Becks understands the need for a big, big name in the team when it gets going,” the source told The Sun. “… It is a long way off yet — we’re talking 2017 — but it clearly demonstrates the ambition of the Beckham franchise.”
Beckham himself is no stranger to the impact of a storied veteran. His arrival at the Galaxy in 2007 helped spur a revolution of interest in America and brought significant financial gains for the MLS. On top of that, he won two MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shield trophies.
Perhaps the Portuguese could continue Beckham’s work to improve the sport even further — after all, ESPN FC reported in 2012 that soccer is the second-most popular sport for Americans aged 12 to 24 and is growing.
Ronaldo already shares a good deal of similarities with Beckham. Both wore the number 7 shirt for Manchester United, both moved from United to Madrid, both put in dazzling individual performances for countries that repeatedly and painfully underperform on the world stage, both are stunningly handsome with equally stunning significant others, and both display a charming penchant for being fathers.
Time will tell if the current Madrid star takes another step to follow his spiritual predecessor.
By 2017 he will be 32 years old, he won’t be as fast and Jese will be in his best years, so yeah, Miami sounds like a good retirement place for Ronaldo.