A claim that Cristiano Ronaldo (40, Al Nassr) would have had a bigger impact on Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States than Lionel Messi (38, Inter Miami) drew attention.
MLS has recently surged in popularity. The world's biggest star Messi joined, and last summer Premier League star Son Heung-min (33) left Tottenham to join LAFC, drawing attention.
Breck Shea (35), a former U.S. national team and Inter Miami player, said in an interview with betting firm "Jackpot City Casino" that he believes Ronaldo would have had a greater impact on the MLS than Messi.
While Ronaldo joined Al Nassr and continues to produce goals in Saudi Arabia, Messi left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and moved to Inter Miami. Messi won the MLS Cup this season and finished as the top scorer.
In particular, Messi lifted the MLS Cup in the playoffs and rewrote the club's history by winning season MVP and the regular season scoring title. Meanwhile, Ronaldo continues his scoring run at Al Nassr, demonstrating his influence.
Shea said, "I have no intention of belittling Messi. It's just that he seems like the type who likes to stay at home," and added, "He is very quiet, and he still doesn't speak the language well."
By contrast, he said, "Ronaldo is much more outgoing and does more activities in public," and emphasized, "He uses the language, gives interviews, and for those reasons alone he would automatically have had a larger impact."
Shea drew a line by saying, "I'm only talking about matters off the pitch," and emphasized, "He may have produced similar results in match statistics, but in terms of influence he would clearly have been bigger."
Meanwhile, Messi, who re-signed with Inter Miami, is cautious about the possibility of playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Ronaldo, who will be relatively 41, is likely to appear at the World Cup with the Portugal national team.
In September, Messi stressed about the possibility of rejoining the Argentina national team, "The most logical conclusion because of age is that I might not play. But it's almost here, so I'm excited and motivated. As I always say, I take it day by day, match by match."
He added, "When I'm in good condition I can enjoy it, but if I'm not, honestly I don't enjoy it. So if I feel I'm not good, I don't want to be there."
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