from Marca (Spanish Newspaper) article "If I can help improve football (soccer) here, I'll try. I think they are doing fantastic, the league is in good shape," said the player to the official website of the MLS. He added: "I'll come here to play someday." ORIGINAL LINK:http://www.marca.com/2012/08/06/futbol/fut...1344275243.html ENGLISH TRANSLATED LINK:http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=a...tml&act=url
He did say before his carrer was over, so that means about Henry or Marquez age, 32-34 year old CR9, could be good he could be Beckham part2.
Title fix: CR7: "I would like to play in *insert country/league hosting friendly* one day." I bet there's a large number of players/stars willing to play in MLS...just not when they can play in more prestigious leagues and/or make more money. The league needs to ignore players like this and focus on the ones that want to come here now and contribute what they can.
I know David Beckham is not the most well liked guy, but MLS really made a smart move by getting him to the US. It's one thing just to sign him to LA Galaxy, but by giving him a contract that will give him a discount for an MLS team after he retires, Beckham will have a vested intrest in seeing MLS succeed. He has really promoted the sport here in the US and his signing has opened the door for other players coming to the league that wouldn't have given MLS an afterthough before. If MLS is going to get CR7 to the league. Don't just offer him a huge contract for his last payday, give him a contract with incentives so that CR7 has a intrest to promote the league as well.
What do you do to keep your marketing machine and jersey shirt sales going well? You tell folks you'd love to come play in their country while visiting, it is sort of a white lie, I am sure he kinda means it and kinda doesn't. Depends on what kind of opportunity I bet, if it is one to his liking sure why not, money is money. One thing I would like to say is this, he gets booed in almost every game in Europe except in his home team's grounds. He is a especially picked out for booing than most other players or stars in the sport. When he comes to the US he gets cheered, it must feel great, it may have a little something to play with his emotions. Seriously, this may be a psychological play here on why he seems so favorable, I bet he likes feeling the love.
I'm sure like the many other players who have said similar things there's some amount of sincerity to it. But if the money isn't right he won't come, like many other players. That being said, every time one of these megastar players makes a comment like this BS gets so worked up and indignant. Aging players have been great for the league. Beckham has had a huge impact and Henry has been great even if volatile at times. And there have been an endless parade of young South Americans and Central Americans that never did anything. Obviously young, low-cost players are the future of MLS and the best chance for long-term growth and they have far less risk. But a sprinkling of older, big-name players is great for the league. If CR wants to come here at 35 and actually put in the same effort as Henry or Beckham then he will be great for the league.
No crazier than Henry playing here who was, in his prime, one of the top 3-5 best players in the world.
Oh he'll be here eventually. He has that type of personality, that sort of ego. He wants to be a world-wide phenomenon. It probably gets under his skin that only a select percentage of the US population knows who he is. He'll come here if only to go after a bunch of commercial opportunities and try to increase his profile here in the States.
Exactly, he'll want to go to one of the marquee clubs, all the others won't get a whiff. Not only that but if he comes here at age 34-35 he perpetuates the perception that the MLS is just a retirement league for old footballers.
I wish MLS would offer him a club deal like they did with Beckham and bring him over. It would really be Beckham part 2 but CR is a much better player.
Here's the thing, though: David Beckham is a rock star. He still is. LA fit him like Cinderella's slipper. The attention he brought to MLS was not so much due to his talent on the field as to his overwhelming celebrity. There's just isn't another player like that out there, who can come to the US and be instant paparazzi-bait, the darling of all of the celebrity rags. CR, Kaka, even Henry -- none of them bring that celebrity cache that bleeds out of the soccer league and into pop culture as a whole, at least not in the US. You're not going to recreate the Beckham effect by hiring another soccer superstar, unless that soccer superstar has underwear-model good looks and is married to a well-known singer or actress. (I snipped the part about the contract including the right to own a team, because you have a point there. If you're going to put out that kind of money, might as well encourage it to be invested back.) ------RM