Ronaldo Rejects $120 million, 10 Year Deal

Filed in archive Transfer/Shmansfer on May 30, 2006

image: si.com

Despite the over-enthusiastic efforts of Big Apple Soccer.com, Ronaldo has rejected a big money (even for him) offer to play for new york Red Bulls in MLS. According to Sports Illustrated, the contract put in front of Ronaldo was a $120 million, 10 year deal. Though Ronaldo said that a move to America is "one of my goals for the future," his business manager Fabiano Farah said "A transfer to the United States right now would not make sense. He still has several challenges in European soccer." To be fair, given the standard of MLS defending (which isn't awful, but is several steps below what Ronaldo is used to) I'm not sure the Brazilian would have found America enough of a challenge right now.

But hold up there, $120 million? 10 year contract? That's quite a deal. Ronaldo currently takes home an estimated $8.25 million annual salary from the galactico-tastic RealMadrid, so a $12.5 million salary from an MLS team? New York Red Bulls are definitely showing some ambition. But also a lack of sense. If the reports of a ten year contract are to be believed (I'm definitely not vouching for them) then that would have tied Ronaldo to MLS until he was 39. Given Ronaldo's medical history, a ten year contract offer is optimistic at best, mental at worst.

Now the transfer to New York is definitely off, it will be interesting to see where (and if) Ronaldo does move this summer. If he has a good World Cup (remember 3 more goals makes him the competition's all time top scorer) then expect some big offer to come Ronaldo's way, though maybe none as big as the one New York Red Bulls made.