Is Cristiano Ronaldo planning a move to MLS – or does he just love real estate owned by Donald Trump? Whatever the reason, Ronaldo is coming to America, at least for some of the time.
The New York Post reported that the Real Madrid forward has paid $18.5m for a 2,509 sq ft loft in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the 57th tallest skyscraper in Manhattan and one described lovingly on Trump.com as “still one of the most distinctive buildings in the world.”
The Trump organization’s website goes on, breathlessly: “The residential condominiums comprise floors 30 through 68 and are considered one of the world’s elite luxury residences, catering to public figures, athletes, celebrities and other affluent sophisticates.”
Ronaldo probably belongs to the final three categories. He’s certainly affluent: he’s the richest footballer in the world, worth about €210m, or about $235m, according to the Goal Rich List.
The Trump deal was completed on Wednesday, the Post said, and now the gossipmongers are asking: why? Reported have long suggested that Ronaldo is considering moving to MLS when his contract in the Spanish capital expires in 2018, and Sports Illustrated reported that Los Angeles is a likely destination for the Portuguese star. New York and Miami are also contenders, and Kansas City probably isn’t: could Ronaldo be turning out for New York City FC or the Red Bulls?
The Trump tower loft was the property of Italian real-estate mogul Alessandro Proto, who happens to be a partner of Donald Trump. The pair were said to interested in buying Colombian club Atletico Nacional for $100m earlier this month, but that didn’t work out, after Nacional asked for too much money. Trump didn’t like that!
Trump said in a statement: “National wants $150m to sell the club. For us, the proposal is unacceptable. Maybe they think we’re stupid. We had offered $100m and that it was an important offer. We are not willing to offer more.”
