I am thinking the same, but a part of me wants it to happen. I've got plenty of old Inter Milan gear with his name and number on it that I'd wear to the games!
Well you don't inprove the front line by paying big bucks for someone who's washed up. I'd rather have Sherringham.
Hey krayzie, why all this ranting about winning the Champions League? Ronaldo already won the WORLD FREAKING CUP. It don't get bigger than that, son. The thing you must remember....I work around top athlete's day-in, day-out. Aty first when they're rookies and young and just breaking in, they are all gung-ho with us media types and love to talk and receive the adulation of fans, etc. But, human nature takes over. Eventually, they pretty much would rather forget me and the rest of the media even exist than talk to us with even one more syllable. They're not trying to be rude in most cases, just tired of all the hype. Now, I've spent a lotta time around the biggest of the US big in sports (Kobe, Shaq, etc.) and these guys aren't even subjected to probably half of what the Euro soccer mega stars go through. Eventually, when they have more $ than they can spend, they want quality of life. I know of an awful lot of Euro soccer players who come to the US EVERY chance they get already because no one bugs the snot outta them in the supermarket, shopping, etc. Quality of life....I imagine more than a few are seriously comtemplating moves to MLS. It might just take that one maverick still in his prime to break the floodgates.
Brownswan, what exactly is your avatar? A recently discovered original score of Football Cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/04/06/truth.rumors.soccer/index.html CNNSI has the story and it made the front page under top stories.
And what they have is straight from the bigapplesoccer article. It's their truth and rumors page. Also, this truth and rumor they published is from a mlsfan.net article that is about six months old. For some reason it keeps holding strong on the top of the newsnow.co.uk list of MLS news:
First of all don't compare US stars and worldclass soccer players... American mentality is different... Money is veryimportant in USA... 2) You REALLY seem to ignore how big the Champions league is, this is the greatest, biggest, clubs competition !!!!!!!! All the best players want to win this competition, Zidane has won the world cup in 1998, but he has always said that he wanted to win the Champions league... That's why he signed for Real AMdrid in 2001... And this is also the reason why Viera signed for Juventus, and Henry will play for Barcelona... They have won the worldcup but but they want to win the Champions league... All the best players want to win the Champions league... The world cup is the biggest NATIONAL competition The Champions is the biggest CLUBS competition Who's gonna be stupid to say, I don't care about the Champions league, I prefer MLS... :rolleys: And when you talk about quality of life, I ask you one thing, do you think soccer players have a bad quality of life in Europe ??? LOL The quality of life becomes more important when your career is finished, that's why Djorkaeff plays in USA... To me saying Ronaldo will play for MLS, it's like saying Tom Brady will play for nfl Europe because he has won 3 NFL titles and he has nothing to prove... For now nobody in Europe seems to talk about this rumor... Go to MArca.com or As.com ... It sounds more like a 1st april joke...
America is the best, tell me why did Pele come and play with the Cosmos? Dont you see the big picture?
It's the upper half of the first page of Shostakovich's 'Leningrad' Symphony. Soccer is a battle; here in the US, it's a battle on many fronts. I also have a Shostakovich jersey with the opening page of his piece called 'Football" on the front -- music about soccer that he composed for some kind of show. I couldn't find that score online.
Once again, krayzie, please provide links to the many articles where Tom Brady has announced he would like to play in NFL Europe. We'll wait.
Gee, what do you know. Just a few days before our home opener. Coincidence or eerie happening? YOU BE THE JUDGE. =NLK=
kraziye - You don't know what Ronaldo is thinking. The decision is not as obvious as you make it out to be. Everyone else is NOT a moron for at least speculating about the truth of the rumor. Please, no more rants.
Please tell me why we are debating with a Euro Snob who looks down his nose at American Soccer? Here's 2 reasons why Ronaldo would come to MLS 1) Carnivale(sp) he always wants time off during Carnivale in Brasil....MLS doesn't play at that time of the year. 2) As many People have said it's a lifestyle issue here he will be cheered as opposed to be booed or ridiculed. Remember prior to the Barcalona game how badly he was booed at home and made fun of (sign in the crowd that said "Ronaldo Your Fat")
I didn't read all the responses to this thread yet, so someone my have already peed on your petunias, but isn't there a salary cap in the MLS? Maybe Red Bull could use some "creative" bookkeeping, like making Ronaldo the Chief Head Assistant of Product Visibility or something like that. If that were to happen I would anticipate the other MLS teams crying foul. After all the NASL went kaput mainly because the "poorer" teams in the league couldn't keep up with the Cosmos. Now allow me to play devil's advocate here. I guess it would be good for the league if Ronaldo were in a league that describes itself as a "single entity."
It's not as though 'creative economics' hasn't been use before in MLS -- along with the 'creative allocating' that landed Freddy in DC, and Landon in LA. Sure, make Ronaldo a Red Bull VP for the balance of his salary. That is definitely good for MLS -- especially the books. The fear that another Cosmos will rise up in New York and burn the league is so widespread, that ANY attempt to bring world class talent to a location and league that desperately need it is stamped out, like a spark that might consume the forest. John O'Brian to Chivas? No problem -- anyway, Chivas was due an allocation. But I don't think the combination of O'Brian-Palencia-Garcia-Suarez are making the salary equivalent of refritos. Somehow the needed funds are found. But the prospect of Ronaldo in New York is so terrifying, you'd think a direct assault was being made on DCU's vaunted trophy case. Ronaldo in MLS would give us the kind of boost we got when Freddy first arrived, bumping attendance where ever he played (or came off the bench). Only this would be a bigger bump. DC fans might think of it as leading to more money for silver polish. And think of the crowds that would pack the new stadium in Chicago, as well as those in LA, Dallas, Columbus, and what great pictures that will make on TV screens. Anyway, the league has given lip-service to the "Beckham Exception." Let's give it a whirl, if the player is game to give New York and MLS a shot.
Hype.....charging up excitement.. motivation to develop The Game in the US.. For all we know; Red Bull could be wooing Ronaldo with a promotional contract (building the Red Bull drink brand via tv ads?) that pays him so much over so many years for a commitment to play for RBNY in.. what year?.. Could Red Bull be the nectar-of-the-soccer-godz in the US?.. ;-)
I would say that if N.Y. are going to get Ronaldo (which I'm totally for) then this is the year to do it, NOT after he plays two more seasons for somebody else.