Don't get me wrong... Rivaldo's got a TON of talent BUT he KNOWS it, has hero complex and 34 is coming up fast (age). He's only at Olympiakos because alot of his other choices were eliminated by ego/attitude. My point is. I'm a huge proponent of players like Youri coming to MLS to retire. Youri has talent coming out his ears, he has (to borrow Mo's phrase) "a burning desire to win" and he's a terrific mentor. He makes the team, and the league better. I don't see Ronaldo playing that same role.
i don't think anybody sees Ronaldo in that role. RB are not idiots, they have people that know soccer. if they decide to make a push for Ronaldo, they will know full well WHY they're doing it. and that's to put RBNY on the map. it is for media exposure for the team and the Red Bull name. and it is to improve quality of play ... which will in turn bring exposure to the team and the Red Bull name. i don't think even the lowest IQ'd RB executive thinks Ronaldo would play the role of veteran/calming influence/mentor. Ronaldo would (hypothetically) be there for one reason: exposure. plaster that Red Bull logo on TV's across the US. get Ronaldo and RB on the front page of every sports section, in every city they come to. get SportsCenter anchors saying "Red Bull New York." get kids across the US buying Ronaldo kits, with the Red Bull logo, of course. if you haven't figured it out yet .... the whole idea is spreading the word about Red Bull. Mike Magee and Mark Lisi are great guys, but you need bigger names to do this.
Thanks, I'm well aware of this concept known as capitalism and it's friend marketing. I'm also pretty well versed in history. That of NASL and that of our very own Metrostars. The reasoning is not lost on me at all. I just don't chose to buy in to it. Ronaldo coming here, enjoying the ferris wheel for 1/2 a season (and getting on the front page etc.), whining the rest and going back to Europe doesn't accomplish much.
The people that are shooting down the idea as stupid are the ones that don't know what they are talking about. That is probably why Red Bull has the millions to spend and the doubters don't. Red Bull knows what they are doing. They are not stupid. Stupid people don't make billions of dollars.
but Red Bull didn't pay $100 million to have a team in the biggest city and biggest media market in the US ... to have players like Steve Jolley don their kits. i understand that you don't agree with the concept, but you may as well start warming up to it. this is about marketing, and you can't market a last-place team with a bunch of no names on it.
Well, if this come to pass, I've already got a Ronaldo shirt. Just can't wear it at a Crew match. (Brazil yellow)
hahaha? Meet Red. A Cast member from the new Real Madrid TV show RealPets. That's the closest a "Red Bull" is getting anywhere near Real Madrid ... or post a more reliable source. If there was even a little rumour of this going around, AS or Marca would have reported it. Right now, all I see is Rooney, Henry, Diarra, C Ronaldo and Chivu to Real Madrid. Nothing about El fen
well at least in all this flare and stuff red bull has had the decency to NOT have cheerleaders at Games.
Re: Ronaldo? Real...aren't they the team that lost in the last round of the CL? Chance to be the Pelé of his generation? It is no longer a matter of money. We've got that. Isn't that what all the spectacle this coming Saturday is really all about? They mean business. Beckenbauer can convince anyone to play here.
The Boston Globe today reported that Franz Beckenbauer probably will be working in the Red Bulls front office after the World Cup and Alexi Lalas will be most likely heading to the L.A. Galaxy.
I don't recall suggesting that we must soldier on with the Steve Jolley's of the world. (though I like the guy, I think he's got a lot of heart.) I'm all for the Marquee player, I'm all for splashing the cash, I'm just for splashing the cash on someone with a name and not the whine. Someone who will really make a difference long and short term. Need a former world player of the year? Bring in Zidane to play with Youri again or bring in Figo. I'm just hanging up on Ronaldo because I fear that it would be a fun, but short-lived honeymoon. It smells like Lothar 2.0 to me. In marketing terms I'd rather have Beckham, is he still under contract with Pepsi?
Hey, can't we dream? I've got a lottery ticket in my wallet, too! Plus, we could also sign Romarior on loan from Miami via Vasco da Gama! Just think of the musical chairs games on the airplane! (obscure reference! )
Consider Red Bull's other team in Salzburg -- no Ronaldos there, no Beckhams, but a solid TEAM with some players who really stand out. Does Mateschitz see New York as a bigger prize than Salzburg? I wouldn't be surprised if he does, and he might want to go further than he did in Austria to be sure he has a winner in the USA.
Bingo! Let's build a great team, let's spend money doing it. Let's bring in names. But let's be smart about it. No. Seriously. Amado is enough of a temperamental issue. (and NO, I'm not comparing him to Ronaldo)
How about RB spending big money to attract scouts and coaches? Maybe they could throw enough money Peter Wilt's way? Seems to me a better way to invest your money and it doesn't make a mockery of MLS. I don't know (and I don't think anyone else does, either) WHAT RB had in mind when they bought the franchise but they HAD to know they weren't going to be free to bring in any player they wanted. As much as MLS is trying to change it's a far cry from the NASL. =NLK=
The one player super acception to the cap rule, or whatever they're calling it, seems to made for a team like Red Bull Metro.
Just two thoughts: 1) A player like Ronaldo would destroy the fitting together of the team - considering the difference of abilities, value and income compared to the others. 2) One swallow does not make a summer. One player does not necessarily boost the quality of a team and thats especially valid for an offensive player - without support of players with nearly similar quality he is lost. Of course, if a team can integrate one "star" and he is willing to integrate as well, they might be successful by making him "the one and only" - but when he is injured or retires it is very difficult to reorganize a sane team-structure. So my opinion is, that the team should be the star - just buying in "great names" like racehorses and hoping they cause wonders is not very realistic. Soccer is probably the most distinctive team-sport and thats why it is so fascinating and little predictable.
As much as I understand the concept of why Ronaldo would help the MLS. I think it would be similiar to the move of Desailly to that team in Ecquador for the money. People would scratch their heads for a minute, then move on to the next Madrid opponent or Champions League match, they wouldn't think much of it. If RB is going to start free spending they should really look into developing the academy, the staff, the marketing, and ultimately the fan base. The talent will be there in the future it's just a matter of taking the right steps to get there. And buying the talent doesn't really seem like the most functional way to go about it.