Cristiano Ronaldo has been told that a "formidable partnership" awaits him if he leaves Manchester United and joins fellow football superstar David Beckham at Inter Miami.
The 37-year-old has a contract with the Red Devils until June 2023 but has been tipped to leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window if United appoint a new permanent manager who Ronaldo is not keen on. With his future uncertain and just eight Premier League games remaining, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now been urged to link up with Beckham in Miami.
Former Red Devils forward Garth Crooks, now a long-established pundit, reckons that Ronaldo would thrive in Major League Soccer, writing for BBC Sport in his Team of the Week column : "I am a huge admirer of Ronaldo. His professionalism is beyond reproach and he has more than fulfilled the expectations required of a 37-year-old player in the toughest league in the world. However, he is still a young man who needs a purpose in life.
"The United States might be the place to establish that purpose. David Beckham and Ronaldo would make a formidable partnership in Miami." Lending credence to Crooks' claim, Beckham, as president of Inter, has already discussed the prospect of bringing the ex- Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting CP ace stateside.
Having also been linked to signing eternal rival Lionel Messi, the England and United legend reckons it would be easy to convince the likes of Ronaldo to come to Florida one day, telling ESPN : "To be honest, it's not a difficult pitch. You just say 'Miami' and they're like, 'okay!'"
Last year, Beckham affirmed that his MLS franchise, founded in 2018, were indeed targeting players of Messi and Ronaldo's calibre by adding: "Without a doubt, those are the type of players that we aspire to bring to our club. I think that the fans would really appreciate that."
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"But, you know, as owners, we want players here that are driven, that want to win, and that's our priority. With Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain, these are players that we feel add to the glitz and the glamour of what the club is. Going forward, we also want to bring other players in if we have the opportunity to bring some great names in, you obviously mentioned Leo and Cristiano.
"They've been at the top of their game for the last 15 years because of hard work. Sir Alex Ferguson was a master at it. He didn't always bring in the best player in the world. He didn’t always bring in the top player. He bought the right player for the club. And I think that that's the one thing that I take into our club, is the player has to be right."
Ronaldo recently shut down journalists for asking him about the prospect of retirement while on international duty with Portugal, having helped Fernando Santos and co reach the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year via the qualification play-offs. "Who will decide my future will be me," replied the irritated captain. "If I feel like playing more, I will. I'm the boss, end of story."
